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4  5  6 


CAPT.  J.  D.  WINCHESTER'S 
EXPERIENCE 


ON  A  VOYAGE  FROM 


LYNN,  MASSACHUSETTS 


TO 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


AND   TO   Till. 


ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


SAI.EM,    MASS. 
NRWCOMH  &  GAUSS,  I'RINTKRH. 

1900. 


Copyright,   1900. 
By  J.  D.  Winchester,  Beverly,  Mass. 


Newcomb  &  Gauss  Press, 
Salem,  Mass. 


PREFACE. 

That  my  reatlcrs  may  fully  uudcrstand  in  the  begin- 
ning who  the  parties  are  they  are  readinir  about,  1  write 
this  ])reface.  I  joined  the  Lynn  Mining  Company  that 
left  Lynn  Nov.  10th,  1^UT.  This  company  bought  a 
schooner,  the  Abliie  M.  Deering,  and  went  l>y  way  of 
water,  stopping  at  Bahia,  Brazil,  S.  A.,  then  passing 
through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  and  so  on  up  to  San 
Francisco,  I  had  a  rare  chance  to  sketch  the  many  true 
pictures  from  nature  that  decorate  this  book,  the  total 
number  being  thirty-seven.  The  schooner  in  the  book 
is  called  the  Diver,  nicknamed  by  the  crew  for  the 
vigorous  way  in  which  she  dove  into  a  sea,  giving  man\ 
of  >is  a  good  wetting,  in  spite  of  every  precaution. 


Pacific  N.  W.  History  Dept. 

PROVINCIAL  LIBRARY 
VIOTORIA,  ».  0. 


4^447 


CONTENTS. 


PACK 


CHAPTER  I 


Preparation  for  tho  cniiso  .        . 

CHAPTER  II 

From  Lynn  to  Nova  Scotia— A  heavy  storm  is  encountered 
througli  which  the  Diver  passes  safely— Experiences  of  a  sea- 
sick crew— At  anchor  at  Ihyer's  Island 

CHAPTER  III 

The  long  voyage  commenced— Running  through  the  Gulf  Stream 
into  warm  weather— The  mad  dog  takes  command— Drinking 
water  runs  short  and  a  stop  is  made  to  replenish  the  supply     . 


41 


54 


71 


90 


CHAPTER  IV 

Through  the  Straits  of  >Iagollan-A  deserted  sheep  ranch— Duck 
shooting  in  a  strange  land-We  see  glaciers  and  explore  a  Pata- 
gonian  jungle— Our  first  news  from  liome 

CHAPTER  Y 

Into  the  Paciflc-We  make  our  sleeping-bags  and  llud  them  too 
small— Practical  jokes  on  board-Food  and  water  get  scarce- 
Collision  narrowly  avoided— Arrival  at  San  Francisco 

CHAPTER  VI 

On  shore  at  last-Unsuccessful  attempts  to  sell  the  Diver— Hoop- 
er's rascality  disclosed-The  vessel  at  length  disposed  of  and 
five  of  us  embark  on  the  Umatilla  for  Seattle      .        ... 

CHAPTER  VII 

Arrival  at  Puget  Sound— Secure  passage  for  Alaska,  and  purchase 
our  outfits-Shortage  of  provisions  on  board  the  Haydn  Brown- 
Peculiarities  of  some  of  the  passengers         


104 


6 


CONTENTS. 


CHAITHH   VIII 

From  Dutch  Harbor  to  St.  >Hchiiel8 — A  tram])  over  the  moun- 
tains— Doings  on  board  tlie  bar(|uo — Trouble  for  the  Chase 
gang— Hot'man  docidos  to  go  home— The  com])any  ri'diicod  to 
three 14(1 

ClIAITKi;    IN 

Up  the  Yukon— Wo  work  our  passage  to  the  mouth  of  the  Koyu- 
kuk — Land  and  jirocure  a  boat — Hun  a  gauntlet  of  mosiiuitoes — 
Difficulties  in  navigation— ('on(|uered  by  lapids  .        .        .   \'iS 

(JJIAITEJJ  \ 

<Ju  the  way  to  Arctif  City — Hunting  for  Treat's  Island— Trading 
with  the  Indians- The  ^[aiy  Ann  meets  with  an  accident — 
Mishaps  in  towing — We  reach  Hughes  Har  and  see  our  first 
gold HJ 

CIIAI'TEK  X\ 

A  winter  in  Beaver  City — Up  the  Allenkakat  to  "  Help  Me  Jack  " 
— Stake  a  claim  on  McAlpine  Creek — Bnild  our  shack — An  at- 
tack of  the  scurvy  and  a  struggle  alone  with  <leath — Many  tales 
of  woe 11(1 

CHAI'TIiK   XII 

Light  begins  to  dawn — A  general  exodus  and  I-epage  and  1  are 
left  alone — Visits  from  the  Indians — Gilded  delusions— The  ice 
in  the  river  breaks  up  and  we,  too,  get  ready  to  start         .        .  214 


CHAl'TEH  XIII 

Wo  embark  on  our  long  journey — I  part  witli  Lopage  at  St. 
Michaels — Take  passage  on  the  Roanoke— A  burial  at  sea — 
Across  the  continent — Home  again 2:W 

APPENDIX 

Exonerate  my  companions  from  blame — liOpage  a  true  friend      .  251 


IJST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Cai't.  Winciikstku'8  Shack  at  Hkavbr  Citv,  Alaska 


(A 


Lkavino  Lynn.  Nov.  10,  180it 

In  a  Stobm  in  thk  Bav  ok  Fhndy 

LKAViNfi  Bkykk'h  Isi,ani>,  N'.  8,,  Foil  San  KitANti-^c 

FlIUl.IN(i  TIIK  .Till 

(;atciiin<j  Doij'iiin 

TlIK  Irtl.ANI)  Oh-  KkKNANIK)  NoROMAll,    BKA/II,      . 
TllADINO  lillOOKHS  or  Baiiia,  B|!A/II.    . 

Hoisting  tiik  Mainsaii 

Thk,  Man  AT  TiiK  Whkki, 

(iOINO  UP   IHK  UlVKU  KOK  VVATKK    .... 

I  iiKi.n  MY  HiFi.K  hkady  kou  Vhk  .... 
Thk  .Vdmiuai,  Tuyino  on  ins  Si.EEiMNfj-iiAii 

Mac's  Uu.mmy  Bki>-kki.i.o\v 

Tiikkk  ("a.mk  Xkar  Bkino  a  Collision 

Kntkki.ni^  thk  (Joi.den  (Jatk,  San  Fhancihco    . 

Thk  Stkamku  Umatilla  Bound  kou  Skattle    . 

Thk  Bah<;uk  Haydn  Brown  Makino  thk  Unamak|Pass 

Thk  Ko<  k  Lsland  Lkaving  St.  Michaels  for  TnEjYiKON 

The  Canok  (^Ai'sizEP 

Takino  IN  Wood  on  THK  Yukon    .... 
(tEttino  Ready  to  Ascend  the  Koyckuk  . 
Difficulties  We  Met  on  thk  River    . 

Hands  I'l' ! 

The  Indian  Home  on  the  Koyukuk     . 

Our  First  Indian  Traders 

Boarded  iiy  S(/uaav  Traders        .... 
The  "  Florence  "  ON  A  Sand-mar 

Working  the  R.\i"Ids 

Paying  Toll 

Breaking  the  Traii 

Sa^i  Mallimoot  Trading 

I  Lay  Alone  Struggling  ayith  Death 

The  Dbsebtion 

Stewart  Island       .        .        .        . 

Landing  in  .v  Storm  on  the  Bering  Sea^Coast 

A  Burial  at  Sea 


FronUiti)ieve. 

3S  - 
44- 


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120  - 
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172- 
174- 
17(>- 
178  — 
184- 
18(1- 
104- 
108- 
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204- 
218- 
2U^  ' 
238-  a^o 
250  ^ 


CIIAl'TKU  I. 

PHEPAIIATION    Knit   TIIK   CIMISK. 


Ill  tlio  summer  of  '97,  the  jfreiit  Klondike  fever  swept 
across  our  land,  and  canii'd  many  of  our  i  Mig,  able  men 
int(t  its  vortex  and  swept  them  away  to  tin-  great  North- 
west to  seek  their  fortunes  in  a  land  ■  illi  all  the  casuali- 
ties  and  horrors  of  a  cold  Arctic  cli.iiutc.  Many  never  re- 
turned to  the  dear  ones  who  awaited  them,  and  whether  a 
wife  or  a  inr)tlier,  she  must  weep  for  liim  ■who  now  lies  at 
rest  in  tlie  icy  embrace  of  some  piospeeti u'"s  hole. 

I  know  not  what  temptw  me  to  write  this  liook,  hut  the 
inspiration  of  a  sad  experience  that  clings  to  me  and  seems 
to  say — "  Show  me  to  the  world,  keei)  me  hid  away  no 
longer,  but  let  the  world  know  of  this  horrid  decei)tion 
that  lurks  around  our  peaceful  homes,  destroying  oui 
peace  of  mind  until  we  know  no  rest,  and  through  our 
fancied  thoughts  of  riches  and  vain  endeavors  to  procure 
them,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  wealth  we  most 
needed  was  in  the  homes  that  we  so  longed  to  see." 

I  had  read  of  the  great  finds  they  had  made  in  Alaska, 
and  often  Avished  that  I  had  the  ways  and  means  of  reach- 
ing there,  but  it  \vas  a  long,  disagreeable  journey  to  make 
as  I  lived  in  the  town  of  B — ,  in  one  of  the  eastern  states, 
and  consequently  cost  considerable  money,  so  I  felt  that  I 
must  overcome  my  great  desire  and  remain  at  home. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  August  when  my  wife,  after 
reading  a  paragi-aph  in  the  papers,  of  a  woman  in 
Klondike  \vho  took  out  with  her  dish-pan  sixty  dollars 

(9) 


10 


TO  THB   ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


a  pan  after  her  husband's  first  washing,  began  to  get  the 
gold  fever.  Soon  after  we  saw  in  the  papers  where  the 
Hattie  L.  Phillips,  Captain  Blackburn,  was  fitting  out  for 
Alaska  and  would  sail  the  latter  part  of  October. 

Being  a  sea-faring  man,  I  began  to  see  my  way  to  Alaska. 
After  devising  schemes  of  all  kinds  that  failed  to  meet 
the  requirements  needed,  I  read  in  the  papers  where  a 
Mr.  W.  II.  Hooper  was  organizing  a  company  to  go  out 
to  the  gold-fields.  I  wrote  to  him  at  once  and  he  replied, 
wishing  me  to  call — which  I  did.  Mr.  Hooper  was  a  man 
who  would  impress  one  fairly  with  his  manner  and  style. 
He  expressed  himself  freely  on  the  common  topics  of  the 
day,  and  finally,  with  a  superficial  flow  of  socialism  in  his 
discourse,  told  how  the  working-man  was  held  down  by  the 
heel  of  the  oppressor,  but  there  was  redemption  for  him  in 
Alaska,  where  a  jx)or  man  could  drive  his  stakes  with  no 
millionaire  bosses  to  say  that  he  should  not.  He  gave  me 
his  plans  which  were  as  follows  :  The  number  of  members 
belonging  to  the  company  should  not  exceed  twenty ;  each 
member  was  to  pay  in  to  him  <8250,  making  a  first  payment 
on  the  10th  of  October  of  fifty  dollars — that  would  be 
forfeited  in  case  the  member  backed  out — and  the  remain- 
ing two  hundred  dollars  to  be  paid  between  that^time  and 
and  the  first  of  November.  This  contract  was  to  be  signed 
by  all  the  members  of  the  company.  There  would  be  a 
committee  chosen  by  him  to  select  a  good  vessel  at  some 
of  the  sea-ports,  one  suited  to  make  the  voyage  around 
Cape  Horn,  and  to  purchase  the  same  if  it  came  within 
the  limits  of  our  means.  His  plans  I  considered  all  right 
as  far  as  I  could  see,  under  the  blinding  influence  of  gold, 
and  so  I  became  a  member  of  the  (^ompany.  He  chose 
me  on  the  committee  for  purchasing  a  vessel,  and  as  soon 
as  practical  we  went  in  search  of  one.  We  visited  one 
of  the  fishing  ports  where  a  large  fleet  of  schooners  was 
owned,  knowing  that  there  we  would  be  more  liable  to 


PREPARATION    FOR   THE   CRUISE. 


11 


find  one  that  would  suit  our  purpose.  We  were  directed 
by  a  man  who  kept  a  restaurant,  to  a  Mr.  Babmon  who 
owned  a  few  vessels  in  the  ileet,  and  wanted  to  sell  out. 
We  met  Mr.  Babmon  at  his  home  who  said  he  had  one  for 
sale,  lying  at  the  wharf  and  that  he  would  like  to  sell  the 
othei-s  and  go  out  of  the  business.  We  told  him  that  we 
wanted  to  buy  a  vessel  and  if  his  suited  perhajw  we  could 
make  a  bargain,  so  he  directed  us  to  the  wharf  where 
she  lay.  We  went  down  to  the  wharf  and  found  lying 
there  the  schooner  Diver  of  98  tons  register,  not  in  verj' 
presentable  shape  about  decks,  for  she  had  just  come  in 
from  a  fishing  cruise,  and  her  sails  were  not  furled  but 
tumbled  together  in  a  hurry  ;  her  gear  lay  loose  aliout  the 
deck,  and  a  very  strong  odor  of  fish  gurry  could  be  de- 
tected, for  ',he  boys  in  thee e  cases  of  just  returning  from  a 
trip,  jump  her  as  soon  as  she  touches  the  wharf.  We 
looked  this  vessel  all  over  and  found  her  perfectly  sound 
and  well  fastened.  She  was  just  the  size  we  wanted,  well 
sparred  and  rigged  but  would  require  a  new  suit  of  sails 
and  running  gear  before  she  was  fit  for  the  voyage.  We 
liked  thie  looks  of  the  schooner,  her  rig  l^eing  modern,  car- 
rying a  fore  stay-sail  with  balloon  jib,  and  all  other  light 
sails. 

So  we  talked  it  over  and  all  of  the  committee  agreed 
that  the  vessel  would  suit,  and  as  Mr.  Hooper  was  chair- 
man he  went  to  see  Mr,  Babmon  to  make  the  purchase,, 
while  we  waited  around  the  wharf,  listening  to  the  stories, 
told  by  those  who  had  sailed  in  her ;  we  got  all  her  quali- 
ties both  good  and  bad,  and  as  they  did  not  want  to  say 
aiiything  that  would  hurt  the  sale,  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  they  had  not  told  all  they  knew.  Mr.  Hooper 
cime  down  after  an  absence  of  two  hourrf  and  gave  us  Mr. 
Eabmon's  figures.  Ke  wanted  twentj'-four  hundred  dol- 
liU'S  for  the  whole  outfit ;  Mr.  Hooper  wanted  to  make  an 
offer,  and  asked  our  advice ;  we  thought  that  two  thousand 


12 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


dollars  was  about  right  for  the  fli-st  offer,  as  it  was  nejirer 
the  mark  of  what  we  could  afford  to  give.  Mr.  IIooi)er 
went  up  to  the  office  again  and  made  the  offer  which,  of 
course,  was  refused ;  this  we  expected,  and  as  Mr.  Hooper 
was  not  authorized  to  raise  it,  he  came  back  to  us  and  we 
raised  it  one  hundred  dollars  more,  as  Babmon  had  dropped 
■one  hundred  dollars.  Hooper  saw  Babmon  again,  and  when 
he  returned  to  us  Babmon  was  with  him.  We  had  just 
returned  from  the  Kobin  Hood,  a  craft  whose  dimensions 
would  acconnnodate  us,  although  she  was  not  quite  as 
large  as  the  Dive)',  but  their  figures  were  higher,  as  she 
was  not  as  old  and  in  better  repair  than  the  Diver. 

We  were  ready  to  receive  Mr.  Babmon  and  the  bantering 
began.  We  raised  it  twenty-two  hundred  dollars,  and 
there  we  stiiyed  while  Balmion  stood  at  twenty-ihree  hun- 
dred ;  I  said  that  I  would  give  no  more,  and  we  started 
for  the  train.  Babmon  kept  along  with  us  arguing  that 
the  vessel  was  woith  more  money :  I  whispered  to  Hooper 
to  split  the  difference.  He  did  so  and  Babmon  closed  the 
bargain,  we  paying  a  small  sum  to  bind  the  trade,  and  the 
Diver  belonged  to  our  company.  We  felt  that  we  had 
done  our  day's  work  satisfactorily'  and  retmned  home. 
Next  morning,  with  an  addition  of  two  more  of  the  com- 
pany and  a  Mr.  Ballser,  we  went  after  ou"  '  to  bring 
her  to  Lynn,  it  being  the  nearest  harl  .>ur  homes, 
where  she  wiis  to  luidergo  a  thorough  repairing  so  as  to  be 
ready  for  sea  by  the  10th  of  November. 

While  on  the  train  enjoying  the  ride,  I  began  to  look 
over  my  companions,  those  who  were  to  be  my  shipmates 
for  many  montlis  on  the  stormj-  ocean.  Some  of  them  1 
had  never  seen  before ;  one  they  culled  Admiral,  who,  by 
the  sea  phrases  he  used  in  his  conversation,  I  judged  to  be 
quite  a  sailor,  but  the  Bartlett  brothei-s  I  plainly  saw  knew 
nothing  of  a  sea-faring  life,  but  Hooper  claimed  that  they 
were  all  right.     Here  was  a  bit  of  deception  and  1  nuist 


rUEPARATION   FOR    THE  CRUISE. 


18 


confess  that  ray  confidence  w.ts  a  little  shaken,  when  I  1)6- 
giin  to  realize  Hooper's  true  character,  that  he  was  a  little 
careless  of  his  word  at  times  and  deception  with  hira  was 
a  virtue. 

Mr.  Hooper  held  all  the  aioney  without  honds.  He  had 
elected  himself  president,  secretitrv  and  trcivsurer  of  the 
company,  his  ruling  was  despotism  while  he  preached  so- 
cialism. \Ve  had  bowed  to  his  will  like  so  many  pagi\ns, 
paying  in  our  money  on  a  bai"e  i-cceipt  and  accepting  his 
dictations  whenever  or  wherever  he  saw  tit  to  dictate. 

He  now  carried  with  him  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollai-s  of  the  Company's  money,  trusted  beyond  pru- 
dence ;  how  easy  he  could  skip.  V»ut  no  one  thought  such  a 
thing  of  Mr.  Hooper,  in  fact  it  would  not  do  to  think  this 
of  him,  for  be  was  (juick  to  anger,  and  when  you  w?re  out 
of  his  books,  there  was  no  hope  for  you  this  side  of  Alas- 
ka. The  money  he  carried  was  to  pay  for  the  vessel, 
and  when  the  train  stopped  at  the  station,  we  went  on 
board  of  the  schooner,  and  l)egJin  to  get  her  ready  for  the 
trip  to  Lynn,  while  be  went  up  to  pay  Habmon  the  balance 
due  on  the  vessel,  and  engjige  a  sailmaker  to  make  a  new 
suit  of  sails.  The  sailmaker  came  on  boaitl  and  took  the 
measure  for  the  sails  and  we  cleaivd  at  the  Custom  House, 
as  the  business  was  all  settleil.  We  hauled  down  to  the 
end  of  the  whai'f  where  we  made  sail,  and  with  a  fair 
breeze  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbor.  ( )ff  tlie  Cape  the  wind 
died  out  and  left  us  in  an  uncomfortable  chop  of  a  sea, 
that  tumbled  us  alwut  in  all  shajies,  and  I  l)egan  to  feel  a 
little  faint,  as  I  liad  eaten  nothing  since  I  left  home.  But 
there  was  a  good  clam  chowder  cooking  below,  and  I  kept 
up  ray  courage,  patiently  waiting  for  the  fii-st  call.  I  saw 
that  Hooper  was  watching  us.  to  see  us  run  to  the  rail,  and 
pay  our  respects  to  Father  Neptune  as  there  could  not  be 
j>  l)etter  sea  invented  to  make  a  man  sea-sick  than  that  we 
,.i.ie  experiencing  off  old  Cape  Aiiu.     Dinner  being  ready 


14 


TO   THE  ALASKAN   GOLD   riKLDS. 


I  went  down  in  the  forecastle  where  it  was  to  be  served, 
followed  by  our  two  new  men  Fred  and  George  Bartlett ; 
they  were  brothers  and  I  noticed  by  the  dull  and  don't- 
care-a-snap  state  of  mind  the}'  were  in,  that  they  were  lin- 
gering on  the  borders  of  sea-sickness,  and  though  assuming 
an  air  of  defiance  in  front  of  a  bowl  of  steaming  clam 
chowder,  their  laughter  sounded  unnatural  as  they  bumped 
against  each  other,  and  their  countenances  took  on  that 
sickly  hue  which  indicates  a  bilious  turn  of  affairs  in  the 
region  of  the  stomach.  I  saw  Fred  seize  his  bowl  of  chow- 
der and  make  for  the  companion-way  saying  at  the  time 
it  was  too  hot  for  him  down  there.  I  sat  enjoying  my 
dinner  with  George,  who  sat  opposite  and  tried  to  talk  in 
an  off-hand  manner  of  the  voyage  we  Avere  to  make,  and 
attempted  to  swallow  his  chowder  as  though  it  was  an 
easy  thing  for  him  to  do,  when  he  suddenly  said,  "  Don't 
you  think  it  is  hot  down  here  ?  I  don't  see  how  you  can 
stand  it."  ••  I  think  it  about  right,"  I  said,  and  then  he 
suggested  that  we  ascend  to  the  main  deck  and  finish  our 
dinners;  I  quietly  demurred,  and  saying,  "it  is  too  hot 
for  me,"  he  made  a  stivgger  for  the  steps  which  he  grasped 
with  a  grip  of  iron,  and  making  one  bound,  disappeared 

up  through  the  scuttle.     "  It  is  hotter  than  h "  was 

his  last  remark  on  that  occasion,  and  I  heard  something 
like  New  York  choked  out  with  the  gurgling  and  spitting, 
as  he  cast  up  accounts  with  the  old  sea-god,  who  appeared 
to  enjoy  the  sport  as  he  rocked  tlie  vessel  to  and  fro,  as  if 
to  make  sure  that  he  had  given  up  all  the  fruit  of  the  sea, 
that  he  had  attempted  to  swallow  without  Neptune's  con- 
sent. The  chowder  and  cabin  was  all  left  to  me ;  "  the 
world  is  mine,"  I  said  as  I  finished  my  dinner,  and  went 
on  deck. 

We  were  running  along  in  smooth  water  now  with  a  fair 
breeze.  I  looked  around  for  the  boj's  and  there  they  lay, 
each  one  on  a  coil  of  I'ope,  looking  pale  and  desolate,  little 


PHEPABATION   FOR  THE  CBUISK. 


15 


caring  what  become  of  themselves  or  the  vessel;  these 
symptoms  are  always  exiierienced  just  before  a  relapse.  I 
could  imagine  how  they  felt  and  sympathized  with  them, 
but  sailing  along  in  smooth  water  brought  them  on  their 
feet,  and  they  stood  initiated  into  the  miseries  of  a  home  on 
the  rolling  deep.  The  weather  changed  and  it  was  getting 
dark  with  squalls  of  rain  and  we  were  anxious  to  get  into 
port  before  night  shut  in.  We  made  Egg-rock  light  and 
shaped  our  courae  for  Lynn.  We  got  up  off  Nahant  and 
the  wind  blowing  ou<-  of  the  harbor  gave  us  a  dead  beat  in. 
We  expected  a  tug  to  meet  us,  but,  it  being  a  stormy  night, 
none  came,  so  we  anchored  under  Nahant,  tied  up  our 
sails,  put  up  our  anchor  light  and  set  our  watch,  and  as 
we  had  on  board  a  passenger  who  wished  to  l>e  landed  at 
Nahant,  we  launched  one  of  our  dories,  and  set  him  on 
shore.  The  wind  was  blowing  a  cold  sleet,  and  it  was  dis- 
agreeable boating,  our  dory  was  slow  in  coming  on  board, 
but  at  liist  we  heard  them  alongside  making  a  great  deal 
of  Relay  house  noise  which  I  understood  when  1  saw  two 
or  three  suspicious  looking  black  bottles  handed  up  over 
the  side  of  the  vessel ;  they  were  carried  below  and  the 
corks  drawn  before  any  (questions  could  be  asked,  the  boys 
imbibing  freely  and  smoking  their  pipes.  As  the  black 
bottle  kept  going  the  rounds,  their  spirits  rose  and  they 
told  their  funny  stories,  and  sang  their  happy  songs.  I 
forgot  to  mention  there  was  a  bottle  of  ginger  ale  for  me, 
as  I  did  not  use  intoxicants.  T  got  one  glass  of  ginger 
when  it  was  captured  by  the  black  bottle  gang  and  its  con- 
tents was  foon  passing  down  the  parched  throats  of  this 
thirsty  creW. 

I  want^ed  to  get  a  little  sleep  and  retired  to  the  afttu* 
cabin  to  get  awaj'  from  the  noise.  It  was  cold  and  ilamp 
but  I  found  a  room  and  turned  in.  I  tried  to  sleep,  but 
could  not,  and  so  fell  to  thinking  of  the  long,  hazardous 
journey  I  was  about  to  make  with  men  all  strangers   to 


16 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


me  and  if  those  I  could  then  hear  singing,  dancing  and 
shouting  were  a  sample  of  the  rest  of  the  crew,  and  Mr. 
Hooper,  organizer  and  manager,  at  their  head  there  wan 
trouble  enough  ahead  for  me.  I  formerly  had  a  feeling  of 
respect  for  Mr.  Hooper.  When  I  first  met  and  talked  with 
him,  he  gave  me  the  impression  that  lie  was  the  riglit 
man  in  the  right  place,  but  now  I  could  hear  his  voice 
above  the  rest,  as  he  sang  or  broke  forth  in  language  both 
ol)scene  and  profane ;  and  so  they  drank  until  the  contents 
of  the  black  bottle  was  gone,  their  hilarious  songs  ended 
and  they  were  soon  stretched  out  in  the  arms  of  that  great 
comforter,  sleep. 

There  was  our  leader,  the  man  to  guide  us  around  that 
stormy  cape  and  up  in  those  regions  above  the  Arctic. cir- 
cle, to  put  in  a  winter  auudst  snow  and  ice ;  was  lie  capa- 
ble, was  he  to  be  trusted  i  If  he  was,  I  doubted  it,  and  but 
for  the  confidence  I  had  in  myself  I  should  have  felt  dis- 
couraged ;  but  I  felt  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  consoled 
myself  by  thinking  so,  and  soon  fell  iisleep.  I  awoke  next 
morning  and  found  the  tug-boat  alongside.  I  jumped  out 
of  my  berth,  shook  myself  and  was  all  ready  for  business. 
We  manned  the  windlass  and  hove  up  anchor,  and  the 
tug  took  us  and  placed  us  alongside  of  Breed  and  I  Folder's 
wharf,  where  we  moored  her.  Mr.  Hooper  Avas  to  look 
after  the  repairing  of  the  vessel  and  so  I  went  home,  but 
before  I  left  he  told  me  there  would  be  a  meeting  of  the 
whole  company  and  wanted  me  to  be  present.  Of  course 
I  wanted  to  be  there,  to  see  the  rest  of  our  company  and 
to  get  acquainted. 

Shortly  after  I  happened  in  Lynn  and  called  on  Mr. 
Hooper  to  see  how  he  was  getting  along.  I  rang  the  belU 
and  was  ushered  in  by  Mr.  Hooper.  There  were  three 
men  present, — one  a  Mr.  Hoytt,  who  belonged  to  the  com- 
pany ;  and  another  gentleman  who  wished  to  join  us.  Mr. 
Hooper  questioned  him  sis  to  his  experience.     He  said  he 


PRKPARATION   FOR   THE   CKUISE. 


IT 


had  heen  hunting  down  in  Maine  one  winter,  and  found 
he  could  live  in  a  log  cabin  quite  comfortably.  Mr  Moo|)- 
er  thought  his  experience  not  sufficient,  and  so  dismissed 
him.  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  have  plenty  of  just  such  fel- 
lows calling  here  every  day,  trying  all  manner  of  induce- 
ments to  get  me  to  tJike  them.  One  man  offered  me  five 
hundred  dollai^s,  but  I  won't  break  our  agreement,  which 
calls  for  only  twenty  men,  and  I  have  that  numl)er 
already."  Mr.  lloytt  nodded  his  head,  as  though  he  a[> 
jiroved  of  ^Ir.  Hooper's  way  of  conducting  affairs,  and  I 
said,  "  Of  course  we  must  carry  ourselves  along  in  a 
straight  and  upright  manner,  if  we  expect  success."  ^Ir. 
IToytt  nodded  liis  approval  again. 

Then  Mr.  Hooper  went  on  to  say  that  he  thought  he 
had  a  good  company'  of  men,  honest  and  sound,  every  one 
of  tliem.  lie  said  tiuit  he  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  that 
he  had  taken  out  his  fii"st  papers  for  citizenship,  that  he 
could  have  been  made  a  citizen  with  one  set  of  papers.  I 
advised  him  not  to  try  it  as  he  would  be  sorry  for  it, — it 
was  best  to  have  an  honest  set  of  papei-s.  To  this  Mr. 
Hoytt  nodded  with  two  or  three  successive  nods,  which 
showed  his  highest  approval.  Mr.  Hooper  said  he  would 
do  as  we  advised  him.  He  told  me  he  had  engaged  a 
navigator,  who  was  a  very  old  acquaintance,  and  who  lived 
in  the  same  place  he  came  from.  The  man  would  not  be 
present  at  the  meeting,  as  he  was  not  in  the  city.  He  was 
an  old  sea  captain,  and  had  sailed  the  world  over,  and  his 
name  was  Rounds.  Mr.  Hooper  admitted  that  he  never 
liked  Rounds,  but  a«  he  had  joined  our  company  his  com- 
radeship would  be  tolerated. 

Mr.  Hoytt  had  not  spoken  throughout  the  evening,  but 
seemed  to  be  in  a  deep  study,  with  his  head  between  his 
hands,  but  nodded  as  phrases  in  our  conversation  met  his 
approval.     I  liked  the  looks  of  this  man  ;  he  had  a  good, . 
earnest  look  in  his  countenance,  and  although  no  conver- 


18 


TO  THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


sationalist,  tried  to  show  in  his  manner  that  he  was  with 
us  through  thick  and  thin. 

Mr.  Hooper  claimed  to  know  all  about  the  west  coast. 
He  said  we  could  sell  our  vessel  for  a  fabulous  price, — it 
would  pay  to  load  her  with  steam  launclies  and  dories,  to 
sell  out  there,  as  we  could  reap  a  large  profit.  He  knew 
all  al)out  Alaska,  too.  He  said  the  Yukon  river  was  easy 
to  ascend,  as  there  was  but  a  three-knot  current,  and  he 
knew  of  a  steam  launch  that  he  could  buy  cheap,  with 
power  enough  to  tow  our  outfit  up  the  river.  We  must 
each  have  Winchester  rifles  and  two  hundred  rounds  of 
ammunition,  for  the  Indians  were  hostile,  and  many  of  the 
wliites  were  desperadoes  and  might  need  standing  off  with 
a  rifle. 

He  did  not  know  just  what  part  of  Alaska  we  would 
locate  in — some  thought  of  Cook's  Inlet,  or  the  Tananna 
river — but  this  was  to  be  decided  when  we  arrived  in  San 
Francisco.  He  showed  me  the  articles  tliat  every  man  was 
to  sign,  which  he  had  composed.  Each  man  was  to  have 
a  duplicate,  so  that  he  could  read  for  himself,  and  not  be 
found  wanting.  He  was  going  to  have  this  business  car- 
ried on  S3'stematically,  and  every  man  know  his  jjlace,  or 
there  would  be  trouble  in  camp.  Mr.  Hooper  tried  to  im- 
press me  that  he  was  a  bad  man  to  run  up  against  if 
things  did  not  go  his  way,  and  so  he  rattled  on  until  it 
was  time  for  me  to  go  home. 

I  was  pleased  with  my  visit,  for  I  had  learned  his  inten- 
tions. I  thought  of  Mr.  Hooper  and  his  dissipation  the 
night  off  Nahant,  and  now  in  the  role  of  a  stern,  hareh 
disciplinarian.  If  he  practised  these  moods  in  this  com- 
pany he  would  find  the  rock  to  founder  on ;  that  he  w&s 
using  poor  judgment  was  plain  to  be  seen,  for  twenty 
men  of  good,  sound  sense,  and  trusty  mechanics,  could 
not  be  brought  under  the  tyrant's  heel  without  a  struggle. 

After  a  few  days  I  was  notified  of  the  time  of  meeting, 


PREPARATION   FOR   THE  CRUISE. 


19 


ami  was  soon  on  ray  way  to  Lynn  again  to  Mr.  Hooper's 
house,  where  I  arrived  in  clue  time,  and  found  a  few  had 
assembled  before  nie.  To  these  I  was  introduced,  and 
then  seated  myself  to  watch  proceedings.  A  few  more 
came,  and  then  Mr.  Hooper  declared  it  was  time  to  proceed 
to  business.  In  the  first  place  he  wanted  to  know  what 
the  company  thought  of  the  vessel,  to  which  they  answered 
they  were  very  much  pleased  with  the  purciiase.  They 
•considered  the  Diver  just  what  was  needed,  and  after  they 
had  talked  on  the  merits  of  the  vessel,  commending  me  as 
well  as  Mr.  Hooper  for  finding  such  a  craft,  someone  sug- 
gested that  the  meeting  be  called  to  order.  ^Ir.  Hooper 
rapped,  and  all  were  silent.  One  member  asked  if  it  was 
in  order  to  make  a  motion.  Mr.  Hooper  nodded,  and  he 
moved  that  the  company  proceed  to  organize  and  elect 
officers.  The  motion  being  seconded  and  carried,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  and  elect  our  officers.  Mr.  Hooper  was 
elected  president  and  treasurer,  and  I  was  financial  secre- 
tary. Mr.  Hogan  was  elected  secretary.  This  w  us  some- 
thing Mr.  Hooper  did  not  expect.  He  had  planned  to 
carry  on  this  business  according  to  his  articles,  where  he 
stood  at  the  head,  and  would  not  be  dictated  to.  I  could 
tell  by  the  look  on  his  countenance  he  was  very  much  dis- 
pleased, yet  he  smiled,  indicating  an  inward  feeling  that 
they  would  hear  something  yet.  This  movement  showed 
that  some  one  beside  Mr.  Hooper  was  working  for  the 
company,  and  was  a  direct  slap  in  the  face,  which  he  felt 
pretty  bitterly,  and  so  we  came  from  under  the  dictator 
and  stood  ready  to  govern  oui-selves  in  a  body. 

Mr.  Hooper  took  the  chair  as  president-elect,  and  said, 
"  We  have  a  great  deal  of  business  on  hand  to  put  through 
to-night.  We  have  here  a  provision  list — we  would  like 
to  hear  from  members  concerning  it;  we  haven't  got 
much  money,  so  we  must  economize.  I  think  the  list  can 
be  reduced."     One  or  two  of  the  members  said  they  knew 


20 


TO   THK   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


nothing  about  titting  out  for  a  voyage,  so  they  would  leave 
it  to  the  judgment  of  those  who  had  had  tlie  experience. 
Mr.  Hooper  claimed  it  could  l)e  reduced  considerable,  as 
he  intended  to  fit  out  plain.  "  There,"  said  he,  "  is  five 
gallons  of  vinegar,  we  don't  need  it.  I  don't  care  nothing 
about  vinegar  myself."  I  then  arose  and  addressed  the 
chair  :  *'  Mr.  President,  if  economy  is  necessary,  why,  vve 
must  economize,  but  we  must  have  some  vinegar.  If  no 
one  else  cares  for  it,  I  do.  I  think  a  half  gallon  would  do 
me  the  journey."  To  which  they  made  a  motion,  and  it 
was  voted  one-half  gnHon  of  vinegar. 

The  list  was  soon  disposed   of,  being  cut  down  one- 
quarter  ;    all  delicacies   were  disposed  of,  and  salt-horee 
loomed  up  in  large  quantities,  with  salt  pork,  i)eans  and 
peas.     I  suggested  that  as  we  had  done  away  with  al'  the 
delicacies,  that  we  buy  the  best  in  the  market  for  our 
stores,  so  a  committee    of  three  was  appointed  to  visit 
different  grocei-s  and  get  their  list  of  prices.     Mr.  Hooper 
then  arose  and  said,  "  Gentlemen,  we  must  have  a  steam 
launch.     I  know  of  one,  three  years  old,  all  in  good  con- 
dition, that  1  can  buy  for  three  hundred  dollars ;  a  launch 
is  something  we  have  got  to  have,  and  we  had  better  con- 
sider this  one."     After  a  ffrw  moments'  silence,  some  one 
moved  that  Mr.  Hooper  procure  a  steam  launch  fit  for  our 
work  up  in  Alaska ;  another  member  moved  an  amend- 
ment, that  Mr.  Hooper  purchase  the  same  launch  of  which 
he  had  spoken,  and  have  her  in  Lynn  by  the  fii-st  of  No- 
vember ;  another  member  wished  to  strike  out  the  word 
"  purchase  "  and  insert  the  words  "  be  instructed  to  pro- 
cure a  steam  launch."    The  chair  did  not  put  the  question, 
but  sat  there  with  a  frown  on  his  brow,  as  the  crowd  de- 
bated in  a  most  disorderly  manner.     Some  one  called  for 
the  question,  when  the  chair  arose,  pale  and  agitated  ;  al- 
though he  spoke  calmly,  you  could  detect  a  slight  quaver 
in  his  voice  as  he  spoke :  "  Gentlemen,  I  wish  to  say  right . 


PRKPARATION   FOR  THE  CRUISE. 


21 


here  tliat  there  are  two  men  in  this  company  wlio  want  to 
fight  me.  Now  if  they  think  they  have  got  an  easy  joh, 
they  had  Itetter  run  up  against  me,  that  is  all." 

If  a  boml)  had  exploded  we  would  not  have  been  more 
surprised ;  here  he  had  ignored  the  (juestion,  he  had 
stampeded  the  debaters,  and  the  meeting  was  practically 
at  an  end,  b}'  his  bringing  Injfore  it  some  of  his  own  per- 
sonal affairs.  However,  we  tried  t<i  pacify  him  i»y  saying 
we  would  stand  by  him,  and  order  was  soon  restored.  Mr. 
Hooper  sat  as  stately  as  a  king  who  hud  won  some  great 
victory.  A  new  motion  was  made  that  Mr.  Hooper  i)ur- 
chase  the  launch  Twin  Sisters,  and  being  carried,  the 
meeting  adjourned  until  some  indefinite  period. 

I  was  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  wii(»le  affair.  I 
had  attended  a  society  once  a  week  for  some  years  that 
had  sometimes  pretty  sharp  debates,  and  although  I  was 
numbered  among  the  wall  flowei-s,  1  knew  how  a  meeting 
should  be  conducted. 

I  felt  sure  I  knew  the  cause  of  the  break  in  Mr.  Hoop- 
er's ruling — it  was  his  ignorance  of  parlimentary  ride — 
and  they  got  him  twisted  and  so  he  got  mad — and  thought 
the  only  way  out  of  it  was  to  get  in  a  row.  After  the 
meeting  I  was  introduced  to  some  more  of  our  company. 
There  was  was  Mr.  Grey,  the  engineer,  a  solid  looking 
little  man ;  there  was  Mr.  Ryan,  a  rising  young  lawyer, 
and  Mr.  Hogan,  the  pharmacist;  Mr.  Ricker  of  New  York, 
and  Mr.  Lepage,  a  boss  plumber,  all  healthy-looking  men. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  I  was  elected  mate  of  the 
schooner  Diver  that  same  evening.  I  was  not  a  bit  proud 
of  my  office,  for  I  knew  there  was  a  responsibility  that  1 
did  not  hanker  for.  It  being  my  train  time  I  bade  them 
all  good  night  and  started  for  home.  Mr.  Hooper  followed 
me  to  the  door,  told  me  there  would  probably  be  another 
meeting  called  as  there  was  considerable  business  that  had 
to  be  attended  to,  and  as  he  bade  me  good  night,  told  me 
not  to  fail  to  come  when  notified. 


22 


TO  THE    ALASKAN   GOLD   FIRLDS. 


I  went  home  tliinkiiig  of  the  evening'H  perforinarjoe,  and 
although  (liM^iiHted  with  evei-ythiiijf  connected  with  the 
affair,  laughed  in  Hpite  of  myself.  Nothing  had  got  down 
to  a  husineHs  basis,  and  time  was  passing.  There  lay  the 
vessel  with  ftne  of  Mr.  Hooper's  nephews  on  board,  Mr. 
Dalton,  keeping  ship,  and  Mr.  Hooper  running  the  streets, 
followed  by  an  army  of  reporters,  to  whose  questions  he 
answered  in  language  that  was  prftfane  and  vulgar.  This 
he  told  me  himself  one  night  as  he  went  swaggering  along 
the  sidewalk  towards  his  home,  where  I  was  invited  to 
take  tea  with  his  family.  I  enjoyed  my  repast  very  nmch 
as  Mrs.  Hooper  was  not  only  a  good  cook  but  a  pleasant 
entertainer. 

I  called  another  evening  on  Mr.  Hooper  but  he  was  not 
at  home  so  I  strolled  down  to  the  wharf  where  the  Diver 
lay,  but  found  no  one  there.  When,  two  days  later,  I  was 
told  bj'  a  friend  that  the  Diver  had  blown  up  and  was  a 
total  wreck,  I  could  not  believe  it ; — there  was  nothing  in 
her  to  blow  her  uj), — there  wasn't  anything  we  were  going 
tfj  carry  that  would  blow  the  vessel  up.  I  worried  that 
day  until  I  got  a  paper  that  had  the  case  laid  down  some- 
thing like  this :  the  schooner  Diver  that  was  fitting  out  for 
the  Klondike,  was  blown  up  while  the  workmen  were  do- 
ing some  repairing ;  one  man  was  blown  overboard,  one  of 
the  carpenters  badly  hurt  but  would  recover,  one  man  be- 
low was  blown  from  the  forecastle  to  the  mainmast  and 
was  badly  shaken  up  and  had  his  arms  burned,  but  his  in- 
juries were  not  internal  it  was  hoped ;  he  was  carried  to 
the  hospitiil ;  the  condition  of  the  vessel  was  hopeless ;  ac- 
cording to  the  story  of  one  of  the  men,  Mr.  Hooper  was 
cleaning  for  bed  bugs  and  was  using  a  very  high  explosive, 
when  one  of  the  men  attempted  to  light  his  pipe,  and  the 
consequence  was — she  went  up.  1  could  not  believe  the 
papers,  for  what  was  there  in  bedbug  poison  so  explosive. 
That  night  I  went  to  Lynn  to  see  for  myself,  and  I  found 


PRKPARATION    FOR  THK   0UUI8E. 


28 


it  l)iul  enoiigli,  I  nssure  ytm.  'J'lie  place  that  <an  wrecked 
waH  covered  over  with  an  old  sail  hut  I  could  Hee  that  it 
wttH  (|uite  a  damage.  WImt  wuh  to  he  done  now  would  \m 
decided  when  the  company  met,  ho  I  went  to  call  cm  Mr. 
Hooper,  hut  he  was  not  at  home.  As  1  waH  HatiHtied  the 
schooner  Diver  was  a  wreck,  I  wanted  to  Hee  him  and  find 
out  the  particnlai"H.  I  didn't  have  to  wait  long  for  a  poH- 
tid  called  me  to  a  meeting  that  night,  and  I  wan  noon  on 
the  train  for  L_vi">i  wondering  what  was  to  happen  thiK 
tin.ie.  The  train  ntopped  jiist  as  I  thought  I  had  the  ex- 
plosion figured  out,  and  the  conductor  sang  out  Lynn  so 
loud  that  I  started  to  lu}-  feet;  had  I  hecn  asleep  and 
dreaming  ?  As  I  hustled  ot¥  the  tmin  in  the  cool  air,  I 
said  to  myself,  "  no,  this  is  all  real." 

There  were  not  as  many  present  at  the  meeting  as  I  ex- 
pected;  their  ahsence,  Mr.  Iloofjcr  explained,  showed  their 
confidence.  He  said  the  hoys  were  standing  hy  him; 
ready  to  advance  more  money  if  reciuired.  Me  said  the 
vessel  was  not  hurt  nuich,  that  l)etween  three  hundred  and 
five  hundred  dollars  would  cover  the  damage.  I  in(|uired 
into  the  cause  of  the  hlow-up  and  it  seemed  Mr.  Hooper 
had  got  it  into  his  head  to  go  house-cleaning,  and  as  the 
schooner  was  pretty  huggy,  he  consulted  the  pharmacist 
Hogan,  who  said  that  he  knew  of  a  compound  that  would 
drive  all  the  vermin  on  hoard  into  the  sea.  He  fixed  up 
a  pailful  of  this  compound  and  gave  it  to  Mr.  Hooper  who 
took  it  on  hoard,  and  told  the  hoys  how  to  use  it  so  it 
would  he  safe.  Mr.  Hooper  had  a  joh  at  the  other  end 
of  the  vessel,  a  good  safe  distance  away,  while  one  man 
went  helow  to  ap[)ly  this  hug  remedy,  with  wnat  result  he 
learne'^  to  his  sorrow.  Mr.  Hooper  had  heen  to  Boston 
and  seen  some  of  the  contractors  on  such  jobs,  and  the 
vessel  could  be  repaired  cheap.  He  could  have  all  the 
work  done  by  contmct  or  by  the  day,  but  recommended 
the  day  work,  for  he  could  get  a  more  thorough  job,  al- 


24 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


tliougli  it  might  cost  a  little  more.  Some  member  suggest- 
ed lie  had  better  call  the  meeting  to  oi-der  so  we  could  bike 
a  vote  on  it.  The  chair  rapped  to  order  and  a  motion  was 
read  tiiat  Mr.  Hooper  take  the  scliooner  to  Hoston  and 
have  what  repaire  done  he  considered  necessary  and  that 
he  engage  the  oarjienter  to  work  by  the  day.  Mr.  Hooper 
asked,  "  Are  you  ready  for  the  question  i " — to  wliioh  two 
or  three  jumped  to  their  feet  and  called  for  a  division  of 
the  question.  The  chair  was  stuck  again,  and  without 
mpping  order,  insisted  on  putting  the  question  in  full,  in 
spite  of  all  opposition,  ignoring  the  meml)ei"s  who  objected 
and  who  did  not  look  very  much  pleased.  A  vote  was 
taken,  the  chair  declared  it  a  vote,  and  so  another  battle 
Avas  won.  Mr.  Hooper  thought  it  was  time  to  adjourn, 
and  said  they  would  have  another  meeting  soon  to  see 
about  our  outfits.  If  we  wanted  auA'thing,  he  could  get 
them  cheap.  As  we  should  want  sleeping  liags  and  shee{)- 
skin  jackets,  we  could  think  it  over  liefore  next  meeting, 
for  then  it  would  l)e  brought  up,  and  without  ceremony  he 
left  the  chair  saying  he  would  have  the  Diver  back  in 
Lynn  in  ten  days.  We  said  good  night  and  parted  and  I 
returned  home  to  await  my  next  call. 

While  Mr.  Hooper  Wiis  getting  the  schooner  ready  for 
Boston  the  wharf  was  crowded  with  people  to  see  the 
wreck.  Mr.  Hoojier  abused  and  insulted  them  and  raised 
one  of  the  sails  l)etween  the  fore  and  main  rigging,  so  they 
could  not  look  on  board.  The  schooner  was  tiiken  away 
and  he  told  the  jnlot  she  drew  but  eleven  feet  of  water, 
when  she  realh'  drew  twelve,  and  thej'  nearly  got  ashore 
on  the  bar — she  was  to  go  on  the  marine  railway  accord- 
ing to  agreement.  Mr.  Hoo^ier's  nephew  remained  to  see 
that  she  was  docked  but  he  went  home.  According  to 
the  nephew's  story,  they  had  the  dix'k  set  for  eleven  feet 
of  water,  so  when  they  came  to  haul  her  in  she  stuck  half 
way  and  then  it  was  high  water.     He  tried  to  get  a  tug 


PREPARATION   FOR   THE   CRUISE. 


25 


to  haul  the  schooner  out  of  the  dock,  but  none  would  help ; 
of  couree  we  knew  what  that  meant — ••  you  are  in  trouble 
and  must  bid  high  if  you  want  us  " — but  poor  Dalton  had 
no  money  to  bid,  so  the  tide  went  out  and  left  the  vessel 
hanging  half  way  out  of  the  dock,  which  was  a  terrible 
strain — some  would  have  broken  in  two.  This  showed 
Mr.  Hooper's  pig-headedness ;  he  would  not  give  in  ;  he 
was  always  in  the  right,  and  when  he  knew  he  was  wrong 
would  never  admit  it.  This  is  the  way  I  ever  found  him 
on  thd  voyage.  Dalton  sta3'ed  by  the  schooner  with  an- 
other relative  to  help  fit  her  out,  and  they  had  a  plenty  of 
hard  work,  for  he  told  nje  afterwards  tliat  Mr.  Hoojier 
would  give  him  money  to  buy  his  food  and  then  would 
borrow  it  back  aq;ain,  and  so  some  days  he  liad  but  little 
to  eat.  He  said  Mr.  Hooper  was  veiy  initable  and  abusive 
when  things  were  not  going  right,  which  will  be  explained 
further  along  in  these  pages. 

The  vessel  was  repaired  sooner  than  we  expected  and 
was  brought  back  to  Lynn,  and  I  was  notified  that 
another  meeting  would  be  held ;  I  was  not  long  in  getting 
to  Lyim,  to  have  a  look  at  the  schooner  and  found  all 
repaii-s  had  been  done,  and  it  looked  lietter  than  before. 
Mr.  Hooper  was  there  painting  and  Dalton  was  working 
on  the  rigging.  He  asked  me  how  I  liked  and  1  replied 
that  I  '.vas  very  much  pleased  with  what  had  Ijeen  done. 
He  had  the  main  hatch  enlarged,  so  we  could  put  the 
steam  launch  and  dories  below,  and  the  schooner  was  as 
strong  as  ever.  He  invited  me  up  to  supper  with  him 
that  evening,  and  Dalton  and  his  cousin  came  along  with 
us — this  is  the  way  he  fed  the  boys,  sometimes  at  his  house 
and  somntimes  on  board,  and  I  wondered  how  he  kept 
run  of  their  expenses,  as  I  supposed  it  would  surely  come 
up  in  the  settlement,  but  it  turned  out  as  I  thought  it 
would,  he  had  kept  no  account  and  it  was  never  mentioned. 
We  had  for  tea  a  sample  of  the  tea  he  was  going  to  buy 


26 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


for  US  and  I  considered  it  very  good  for  cheap  tea.  Later, 
the  members  began  to  arrive  and  we  were  soon  seated, 
ready  to  open  the  meeting.  Mr.  Hooper  said  he  wished 
to  stiite  that  our  secretary,  Mr.  Hogan,  was  phiying  it 
mean — that  witliout  doubt  he  was  trying  to  shake  the 
company,  and  draw  his  money  out.  Mr.  Hooper  claimed 
that  the  money  was  forfeited  to  the  company,  and  so  mat- 
ter's stood.  Mr.  Hogan  was  not  present,  but  was  expected, 
and  we  must  keep  (j^uiet  and  he  would  do  the  tjvlking,  for 
he  thought  he  could  shame  him  and  by  so  doing  prevail  on 
L.  in  to  stay  with  us.  Hogan  soon  put  in  an  appearance  ; 
he  was  very  pale,  with  a  woe-l)egone  look,  and  witli  a  for- 
saken sort  of  demeanor.  He  took  his  seat,  the  chair  rapped 
the  meeting  to  order,  and  the  record  of  the  last  meeting 
was  I'ead  and  approvetl.  The  chair  arose  and  said,  "  We 
have  got  quite  a  push  of  business  to  go  over  to-night,  and 
the  most  important  part  must  come  up  first."  He  iield  in 
his  liand  an  itemized  account  of  the  work  done  on  the  ves- 
sel and  passed  it  to  the  secretary  to  read,  and  the  amount 
of  t..3  bill  was  seven  hundred  do.iars.  After  a  great  deal 
of  talk  and  explaining,  it  was  voted  on  and  accepted,  then 
Mr.  Hooper  brought  up  the  subject  of  water  casks.  He 
had  been  looking  at  some  and  thought  they  would  be  just 
what  we  wanted  ;  the  membei's  asked  for  some  information 
regarding  water  casks,  as  they  had  never  had  any  experience, 
and  wanted  to  know  what  constituted  a  good  water  cask, 
to  which  Mr.  Hooper  referred  them  to  me.  I  told  them 
that  a  good  water  cask  was  a  cask  never  used  for  anything 
else  but  water,  thnt  in  buying  ctisks  you  had  to  be  careful 
not  to  be  deceived  into  buying  cheap  casks,  for  I  had  all 
tlie  experience  I  wanted  in  drinking  rotten  water,  and  be- 
fore I  took  my  seat  warned  Mr.  Hooper  to  get  nothing 
but  the  regular  water  cask.  Mr.  Rounds  remarked  that 
he  had  been  a  sea-faring  man  and  thought  I  talked  about 
right.     On  a  vote  being  taken  it  was  carried  and  Mr. 


PREPARATION   FOR   THE  CRUISE. 


27 


Hooper  was  to  purchase  the  casks.  Mr.  Hoo|)er  said  there 
was  nothing  more  to  vote  on,  l)ut  he  wished  all  those  who 
wanted  sleeping  bags  and  slieepskin  jackets  to  leave  their 
names  with  him,  for  by  ge'^ting  a  large  number  he  could 
get  them  cheap, — the  jackets  would  l>e  made  in  Lynn  and 
the  sleeping  bags  and  clothes  Iwgs  made  on  boanl  the 
schooner.  He  could  get  the  canvas  a  ;d  sheepskins  cheap  ; 
hud  examined  some  l)ags  in  Boston  and  had  a  good  idea 
what  style  thej-  should  l)e  matlc  in, — so  we  left  our  names 
with  him.  One  memlter.  Mr.  Rowley,  said  ho  wovdd  make 
his  at  home  while  his  Ijrother's  would  Ih?  made  on  l)oaixl. 
We  also  left  our  names  for  Winchester  rifles,  but  were  to 
go  with  him  to  purchase  them.  The  committee  on  ship 
stores  was  called  for  and  reported  progress,  and  there  be- 
ing no  more  business  the  company  adjourned  until  a  special 
notitication  was  received. 

Mr.  Hogan  called  for  his  coat  and  hat,  as  he  was  in  a 
hurry  to  go,  when  Mr.  Hooper  arose  and  confronted  him, 
saying,  "  Mr.  Hogan.  I  have  something  to  say  to  you  before 
you  go."  Then  turning  to  us,  he  said,  •'  Mr.  Hogan.  here, 
is  one  of  the  head  promoters  of  this  great  voyage  we  are 
to  take,  and  he  has  l)een  a  hard  worker,  as  you  all  know, 
but  he  surprised  me  the  other  day  by  asking  me  to  give 
him  back  his  money  as  he  had  changed  his  mind  and 
wanted  to  stay  at  home.  I  don't  see  how  I  can  give  it 
l)ack  to  him,  for,  accoitling  to  the  aiticles,  he  has  forfeited 
that  money.  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  can't  give  him  the 
money,  besides  l)eing  disappointed.  Now  I  think  all  you 
gentlemen  will  sustain  me  in  this  when  you  come  to  read 
the  articles.  I  am  very  sorry  but  it  can't  be  helped."  Mr. 
Hogan  thought  differently  ;  he  thought  it  could  be  heli)ed. 
He  said  he  was  a  poor  man  and  it  was  all  the  money  ne 
had  and  he  thought  it  rightfully  belonged  to  him,  and  poor 
Hogan  shed  tears.  Mr.  Hooper  explained  that  if  he  gave 
him  the  money,  he  would  break  the  articles  and  all  the 


28 


TO  THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


rest  of  the  company  would  be  entitled  to  theira — the  only 
way  he  could  get  his  money  was  to  go  with  us.  Hogan 
declined  and  with  a  very  sorrowful  countenance  withdrew 
silently  into  the  shades  of  night,  and  bitterly  lamented  the 
day  he  ever  met  Mr.  Hooper. 

As  far  as  I  could  see,  Mr.  Hooper  was  right,  for,  ac- 
cording to  tiie  articles,  Hogan  had  forfeited  his  money, 
and  Mr.  Hooper  could  not  break  these  articles  without 
risking  the  loss  of  the  majority  of  the  company,  and  he 
had  the  vessel  on  his  hands.  Mr.  Hooper  said,  "  He  is 
going  to  make  trouble  for  us.  Hogan  is  a  good  fellow, 
but  there  is  his  girl,  she  is  at  the  bottom  of  it  all,  she 
don't  want  him  to  go  and  he  has  given  way  to  her,  so  I 
suppose  he  will  go  to  law."  That  subject  being  dropped, 
we  talked  of  having  tlie  company  incorporated,  but  as  no 
one  present  knew  what  it  would  cost,  we  could  not  pro- 
ceed. Our  engineer,  Mr.  Grey,  said  he  was  well  acquaint- 
ed with  a  lawyer  in  Boston  who  would  tell  him  and  not 
charge  him  anything,  so  we  thought  it  a  good  plan  to  find 
out  what  it  would  cost  before  we  took  any  decided  steps 
toward  incorporation.  We  talked  of  the  events  of  the 
evening  until  we  tired,  and  each  one  of  us  started  for  home 
with  our  minds  full  of  Hogan,  wondering  how  it  would  all 
end.  I  had  no  real  pit}'  for  him ;  I  did  not  want  any  part 
of  his  money,  but  he  deserved  to  lose  it  for  he  was  one  of 
the  head  promoters  of  tiiis  scheme  which,  so  far,  had  made 
so  much  trouble  for  us. 

I  anxiously  awaited  that  special  notification;  it  soon 
came  ;  and  I  went  to  the  last  meeting  that  waj*  held  in 
Lynn.  A  number  of  the  company  were  present  and  every 
one  was  talking  of  the  Hogan  case.  He  iuul  engaged  a 
lawyer  who  claimed  he  could  get  his  money  for  him, — 
this  is  the  way  the  talk  ran  until  the  chair  rapped  to  or- 
der. The  chair  appointed  a  secretary  pro  tem,  and  Mr. 
Grey  took  his  seat ;  the  record  was  read  and  approved, 


PREPARATION    FOR   THE   CRUISE. 


29 


and  we  proceeded  to  business.  The  chair  said  there  were 
bills  to  be  paid,  and  as  the  tenth  of  November  was  draw- 
ing near,  the  day  on  whicli  we  were  to  sail,  the  sooner 
they  were  paid  the  better.  It  was  voted  that  Mr.  Hooper 
be  authorized  to  pay  all  the  bills  for  the  company,  then 
the  committee  on  ship  stores  Avas  called ;  they  said  they 
had  the  different  prices  of  many  different  stores,  and  they 
found  Blood's  in  Lynn  had  figured  the  lowest ;  their  re- 
port was  accepted.  Mr.  Hooper  liad  bought  the  water 
casks  that  would  hold  two  thousand  gallons  of  Avater.  He 
had  fallen  short  of  money  and  borrowed  one  hundred  dol- 
lars of  Mr.  May,  one  of  the  company,  and  he  would  Avant 
two  hundred  dollars  more  as  the  boys  had  not  paid  in.  To 
this  Mr.  Rowley  arose  and  said  his  brother  had  the  money 
and  he  thought  Ave  could  get  about  five  hundred  on  a 
mortgage — of  course  the  vessel  was  good  for  it — if  the 
company  agreed  to  it.  We  consented  that  Mr.  Hooper 
get  Avhat  money  he  Avanted  from  Mr.  KoAvley's  brother,  as 
he  Avas  one  of  us,  and  this  business  Avould  not  be  knoAvn 
outside  of  the  company,  so  Mr.  RoAvley  Avas  notified  mat 
he  Avas  Avanted  at  Mr.  Hooper's  house  on  a  certain  even- 
ing on  a  matter  of  business.  Mr.  Hooper  notified  the 
boys  they  could  go  to  the  Globe  Manufacturing  Co.  to 
have  their  measure  taken  for  the  jackets,  an.'  went  on 
to  say  that  he  had  found  out  that  Mr.  Hogan  Avas  a  crook, 
that  he  had  found  a  man  to  take  his  place  Avho  Avanted  to 
go  with  us,  and  Avanted  him  to  pay  his  money  into  his 
hands  and  he  could  haA'^e  the  money  he  had  paid  into  the 
company.  Mr.  Hooper  denounced  Hogan  as  a  scoundrel 
trying  to  rob  this  Mr.  Ricker  of  New  York.  Yes,  it  Avas 
a  doAvnright  attempt  to  rob,  but  it  seems  Mr.  Ricker  was 
advised  not  to  pay  it  and  escaped  a  bunco.  Mr.  Hooper 
said  further  he  Avas  glad  such  a  man  Avas  out  of  the  com- 
pany. He  had  known  liim  for  a  long  time  and  thouglit 
him  honest  and  upright,  his  judgment  had  led  him  astray; 


30 


TO   THE  ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


in  the  future  he  would  not  know  whom  to  trust.  A  mo- 
tion was  put  that  we  elect  a  new  secretary,  and  Mr.  (irey 
was  named  and  elected.  The  new  secretary  arose  and 
thanked  the  memhers  for  the  honor  conferred  on  him  and 
also  stated  that  he  had  been  to  see  the  steam  launch  with 
Mr.  Hooper ;  she  was  a  good  boat,  as  far  as  his  judgment 
went,  but  was  too  small ;  that  he  l)elieved  we  wanted  an- 
other launch.  Mr.  Hooper  breathed  very  hard  as  he  lis- 
tened to  Mr.  Grey,  who  soon  t<Jok  his  seat.  Mr.  lieeman 
of  Boston  arose  and  said  he  stood  in  with  Mr.  (Jrey;  that 
we  wanted  another  launch  was  a  plain  fact  and  he  knew 
where  he  could  j)urchase  one  the  same  size  of  the  Twin 
Sisters  and  could  get  it  for  a  great  deal  less  money  than 
Mr.  Hoo|)er  was  paying  for  the  Twin  Sisters,  and  accord- 
ing to  what  he  had  heard  of  the  Yukon  river  there  was  a 
strong  current  there.  This  statementdid  not  set  very  well 
with  Mr.  Hooper  for  he  began  to  look  very  much  dis- 
turbed, but  the  sj)eaker  stood  with  a  determined  look  on 
his  face  that  meant  good  business.  Mr.  Hooper  stood 
by  his  ideas  that  this  one  launch  was  enough,  that  Bee- 
man  knew  nothing  of  the  Yukon  river,  but  I  believed 
with  the  engineer  that  we  wanted  another  launch.  At 
last  Mr.  Hooper  gave  in  and  said  if  the  company  wanted 
another  launch  they  could  have  it.  A  motion  was  then 
made  that  Mr.  Hooper  ■  have  the  power  to  authorize  any 
member  to  purchase  another  launch  if,  after  trying  the 
Twin  Sisters,  he  felt  sure  we  needed  another  steamboat; 
and  the  question  was  put  and  carried.  This  about  ended 
the  business  for  the  night  and  we  adjourned  to  meet  next 
time  on  the  schooner.  Mr.  Hooiier  said  he  was  ready  to 
collect  for  the  sleeping  bags  and  sheepskin  jackets,  that 
the  next  day  he  wanted  us  to  go  with  him  to  Boston  and 
get  our  rifles.  He  told  me  he  would  get  mine  for  me  if 
I  wished  it.  I  rejjlied  that  he  might;  then  he  gave  us  the 
name  of  a  cheap  John  where  we  could  get  fitted  out  with 


PRKPAKATION    FOR    THK   CRUISE. 


31 


oil  skins  and  sea  boots  which,  of  course,  we  needed.  So 
the  meeting  ended  and  we  returned  to  our  homes  to  dream 
of  our  great  undertaking. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  us  to  start  on  our 
voyage  for  gold,  I  felt  like  a  man  who  was  voyaging  to 
another  world.  What  would  be  the  outcome  i  How 
little  we  knew  of  the  sutt'ering  to  be  experienced  on  that 
long,  desolate  voyage,  but  I  hoi)ed  for  the  best,  for  I  had 
no  dread  of  the  voyage.  I  called  on  Mr.  Hooper  at  his 
home  and  there  mot  another  one  of  the  company,  the 
brother  of  Mr.  Rowley,  who  claimed  he  had  money  to 
loan.  Mr.  Hooper  was  insisting  that  the  loan  be  made 
by  Rowley  as  he  was  one  of  the  comjjany  but  the  young 
Englishman  was  very  careful  how  he  talked,  said  he  had 
drawn  all  of  his  money  and  sent  it  'ome,  but  Mr.  Hooper 
came  down  on  him  harder  until  he  owned  up  he  had  a 
little  left  but  he  did  not  know  how  much.  Mr.  Hoo})er 
squeezed  him  again  and  he  said  he  woidd  let  him  have  two 
hundred  dollars  and  would  take  a  mortgage  on  the  Twin 
Sisters,  but  did  not  thank  his  brother  for  getting  him  in 
deeper  than  he  had  intended.  Mr.  Hooper  arranged  with 
young  Rowley  to  draw  this  money  and  he  would  have  the 
mortjrajre  all  readv  for  him  on  a  certain  date.  He  feared 
trouble  from  Hogan  yet,  but  otherwise  business  was 
booming.  He  did  not  get  my  rifle  for  me  but  gave  me 
a  note  to  the  party  he  had  bought  of  and  as  I  had  to  go 
to  Boston  the  next  day  to  see  some  dear  friends  and  bid 
them  good-by,  I  bought  it  and  ordered  it  sent  down  in  the 
case  with  the  others.  By  this  time  it  began  to  rain  hard. 
1  went  down  on  Atlantic  avenue,  which  was  flooded  with 
water,  and  found  the  place  I  was  looking  for, — a  sailor's 
and  tisherraan's  outfitting  establishment.  After  getting 
what  I  retjuired  I  started  for  Lynn  and  went  on  board 
the  schooner.  The  tide  was  high  and  so  was  the  wind  and 
the  rain  was  very  wet.     Mr,  Hooi)er  was  swearing  and 


32 


TO  THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


tearing;  Dalton  was  with  him,  and  some  others  I  don't 
remember  were  trying  to  haul  the  vessel  down  to  the  end 
of  the  dock — she  was  moving  along  as  well  as  could  be 
expected — and  I  did  not  see  anything  to  swear  about,  but 
Mr.  Hooper  thought  a  little  of  this  8i)ice  mixed  up  with 
the  seaman's  vocabulary  was  more  effective  on  those 
about  him.  When  I  asked  him  why  he  moved  the  vessel 
his  answer  was  such  that  I  refrain  from  writing  it.  I 
told  him  I  would  be  down  in  a  few  days  to  help  get 
ready  for  sea,  then  I  went  home  again  to  await  develop- 
ments, which  soon  apj^eared  in  the  sha))e  of  a  letter  telling 
me  that  he  wanted  my  help  very  much,  and  to  come  at 
once.  The  next  day  1  Avent  over  and  began  my  duties  on 
board  the  Diver.  I  never  saw  so  much  confusion  about 
a  vessel, — there  were  halliards,  sheets  and  mooring  lines, 
lying  in  every  direction  about  the  deck.  Dalton  and 
Fred  and  Rounds  Avere  there  besides  a  number  of  men 
that  I  did  not  know;  they  had  taken  the  IVin  Sisters 
on  board  and  i)ut  her  below  and  got  everything  ready  for 
the  Avater  casks.  We  got  the  deck  cleared  up  after  a 
fashion,  and  Avhen  supper  time  came  I  went  below  Avith  the 
rest  of  the  men ;  there  seemed  to  be  a  scanty  fare  on  the 
table,  but  Avhen  I  inquired  I  Avas  informed  that  the  men 
had  to  buy  their  own  provisions,  that  it  Avasn't  ship  fare, 
but  I  Avas  pressed  to  stjiy,  and  did  so,  making  a  very  good 
meal.  After  supper  I  Avent  up  toAvn  to  see  my  brothers, 
Avho  resided  in  that  city,  and  engaged  my  meals  while  I 
remained ;  they  also  had  a  bed  Avhich  I  occupied,  not 
knoAving  Avhen  I  Avould  sleep  in  another.  So  I  AViis  made 
quite  comfortable  for  the  time  being. 

The  next  day  the  Avater  casks  arrived,  and  I  set  the  boys 
at  work  Avashing  them  out  with  a  stro)ig  solution  of  potash 
Avhich  Mr.  Rounds  said  would  make  them  clean  and  sweet ; 
they  had  a  strong  smell  of  molasses,  Avhich  we  tried  to 
Avash  out,  using  hot  Avater.     While  we  were  working,  the 


PRBPARATION   F'Mt  THK  CRU18K. 


83 


other  launch  was  landed  on  the  wharf,  coming,  I  under- 
stood, from  I^awrence.  The  model  of  this  craft  did  not 
take  '\  .th  me, — the  party  building  her  showing  some  tact 
and  ingenuity  as  a  carpenter,  but  his  marine  architecture 
was  a  faihire, — however,  here  she  was,  and  we  must  make 
the  best  of  it,  so  I  passed  no  remarks,  for  I  did  not  know 
whose  toes  I  might  be  treading  on,  but  thought  the  boat 
and  the  Avater  casks  looked  like  poor  business,  they  could 
go  together  very  well.  There  thej'  laid  on  the  capstan  of 
the  wharf,  waiting  to  be  put  on  board  and  below  out  of 
sight.  Four  more  dories  had  arrived  from  (Tloucester, 
making  a  total  of  thirteen  boats. 

Mr.  Hooper  asked  me  how  I  would  like  to  stop  at  Bry- 
er's  Island  on  the  passage,  and  I  replied  I  thought  it  was 
a  little  too  far  out  of  our  course,  but  he  thought  not ;  he 
said  he  intended  to  stop  there  to  get  some  of  Mr.  Rounds' 
charts,  and  he  had  planned  to  get  our  potatoes  there,  as 
they  were  so  much  cheaper,  and  fish  and  sacks  for  the 
coal,  of  which  we  were  going  to  take  in  fifteen  tons.  He 
had  sent  to  his  father  to  have  them  ready  for  us  when  we 
arrived  there,  so  it  was  no  use  to  object,  but  I  thought  it 
was  to  show  the  people  what  an  enterprising  young  man 
he  was,  whose  genius  had  been  obscured  by  petty  preju- 
dices, now  come  down  amongst  them  with  his  schooner 
bound  for  the  shores  of  gold.  I  could  see  that  this  was 
what  Mr.  Hooper  wanted  to  go  to  Hr3'er'8  Island  for,  and 
I  was  not  wrong,  as  was  seen  afterwards.  Next  day  our 
water  casks  were  stowed  and  filled.  I  had  wet  my  foot  in 
the  potash  when  we  were  washing  the  casks,  and  got  a  bad 
burn,  but  kept  at  work  until  we  had  all  the  dories  below. 

Our  ship  stores  began  to  come  down  and  were  taken  on 
board  and  stowed  as  fast  as  they  arrived.  That  night  we 
were  to  hold  the  last  meeting  in  the  cabin  of  the  schooner 
to  settle  up  our  business.  Mr.  Hooi^er  was  there  and  had 
the  mortgage  of  the  launch,  which  I  signed  £is  he  directed ; 


34 


TO  THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   PIKLU8. 


there  were  other  nanicH  on  the  papei-s  but  I  did  not  read 
them,  for  of  course  they  were  men  of  our  company,  as 
they  must  all  sign.  Mr.  Hooper  began  to  sing  and  tell 
funny  stories  and  wlien  some  of  the  men  called  for  order, 
lie  laughed  and  made  all  the  noise  he  coidd,  some  of  the 
others  joining  in  with  him ;  it  was  useless  to  try  to  hold  a 
meeting  and  we  got  disgusted  and  left  the  schooner. 

When  I  got  down  next  morning  an  officer  was  on  board 
and  the  vessel  locked  to  tlie  dock  with  a  chain  ;  Mr.  I  logaii 
had  Stopped  the  vessel  until  he  got  his  money.  A  lawyer 
was  engaged  to  fight  the  case,  end  the  war  began  ;  at  the 
same  time  there  was  another  constable  hanging  around  in 
behalf  of  the  lioston  lawyer  whom  Air.  (irey  had  consult- 
ed conoerning  getting  the  company  incorporated,  so  they 
were  putting  it  on  us  in  great  shape.  The  wharf  Avas 
crowded  witli  spectat4)rs  every  d.ay,  but  none  were  allowed 
on  board  and  it  was  a  hard  job  to  keep  them  back.  Anew 
suit  of  sails  arrived  and  we  soon  had  them  bent  to  see  how 
they  would  set,  but  they  were  too  large,  no  allowance  be- 
ing made  for  the  stretch  in  a  warm  climate,  wliere  we 
would  be  the  most  part  of  our  voyage,  but  they  had  to  go. 
Mr.  Hooper  had  sent  on  board  some  cordage  for  halliards 
and  very  little  else  to  take  the  place  of  other  gear  that,  of 
coui-se,  wears  out.  He  had  consulted  me  previously  and  I 
told  him  to  have  all  the  blocks  taken  down  and  overhauled 
and  put  new  in  the  place  of  the  old  worn  out  block  sheaves, 
but  when  I  asked  if  this  had  been  done  he  thought  the  old 
would  go  all  right,  so  I  gave  up  advising  liim.  I  had  had 
experience  of  this  kind  and  knew  we  would  have  trouble 
before  the  voyage  was  over.  His  experience  was  very 
limited,  and  it  was  a  crime  to  aiiow  such  a  man  to  fit  out 
a  vessel  for  such  a  voyage  wiili  seventeen  men's  lives  de- 
pending on  his  bull-headedness  and  ignorance.  Mr.  Hooper 
came  on  board  the  next  day,  swearing  as  usual.  He  had 
settled  with  Hogan  and  had  to  pay  him  his  money,  so  there 


PIIEPAKATION    KOll   THE  CKUISK. 


35 


IS 

ill 


was  nothing  too  bad  to  call  him.  In  the  meantime  the 
Admiral  went  up  to  see  the  niai'siial  and  tcdd  him  not  to 
take  the  chain  off  until  we  were  ready  to  sail, — this  scheme 
would  keep  the  I  Jos  ton  otiiceraway,  — and  it  worked  all  rififht. 

We  wanted  to  know  who  was  going  to  cook :  we  con- 
sulted one  another  as  to  ahility  for  holding  such  a  respon- 
sible position  and  founu  l)ut  one  man  who  couhl  cook,  and 
he  was  not  willing  to  take  the  position  but  would  take 
his  turn  with  the  rest;  no  one  else  knew  how,  so  the 
matter  was  dropped  until  finally  a  young  man  who  had 
worked  in  a  restaurant  offered  to  cook  for  us,  if  we  would 
give  him  his  passage  to  Alaska.  Wc  accepted  his  otter 
and  soon  had  him  installed  as  cook  of  the  schooner  Diver. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Hooper  was  lighting  the  land  sharks; 
the  carpenter  who  got  hurt  in  the  blow-up  sent  in  his  bill 
for  injuries  received.  I  don't  know  in  what  way  he  was 
blown  up  but  I  know  we  had  to  pay  his  bill,  and  every- 
body who  could  trump  up  a  bill  against  the  schooner 
worked  it  for  ail  it  was  vvoi'th.  At  the  head  of  the  wharf 
a  number  of  them  waited  to  meet  Mr.  Hooper  when  he 
came  that  way,  wanting  i')  know  when  he  was  going  to 
settle.  This  would  drive  Air.  Hooper  almost  frantic,  and 
down  to  the  schooner  he  would  come  and  look  over  the 
capstan  of  the  wharf  to  see  if  the  chain  was  on.  Yes,  there 
it  was,  holding  her  hard  and  fast,  they  could  not  get  her. 
Oh,  that  safeguard  of  a  chain  I  Ht  woidd  come  below  and 
say,  "  Boys,  we  must  get  out  of  th'.s  at  once  I  "  and  in  his 
excitement  he  would  curse  all  thf  land  sharks  for  lubbers, 
and  say  he  would  get  the  best  of  them  yet ;  then  he  would 
dance  and  sing  a  little,  and  finally  wind  up  by  singing 
some  old  church  piece.  Some  of  our  crew  began  to  get 
their  baggage  on  board,  and  would  come  down  on  the  wharf 
to  see  if  there  was  any  work  going  on,  if  there  was,  turn 
back  up  town  to  enjoy  themselves  once  more  amidst  lux- 
uries that  Lynn  could  abundantly  furnish,  and  with  which 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    liOLD    KIKLDS. 


they  Honn  must  part,  so  of  course  you  could  not  hlivtne 
some  of  tlieiii  if  tliev  iuduljrcd  to  excess,  and  soon  had 
nia(U!  tlio  voyufre  around  the  worhl,  and  eonie  home  mil- 
lionaires, every  one  of  tiiem,  and  then, — yes,  what  then  i 
After  all,  it  was  hut  the  wanderinji;  delusion  of  a  mind  in 
the  swim,  and  next  morninj;  stcuii  reality, — and  the  old 
Diver  loomiiifif  np  tliroiifrli  the  fo;;,  as  they  hrou<rht  down 
their  arms  full  of  straw  to  make  their  heds.  I  looked  at 
these  men  and  thou<rht  them  a  (jueer  lot.  hut  perhaps  hetr 
ter  ae(iuaintance  would  clian<;e  my  mind.  1  couhl  see  no 
sailors  amon<r  them,  tiiev  seemed  so  out  of  place,  and  each 
one  had  a  smile  on  his  countenance,  as  thon<jh  he  thoufrht 
it  a  very  hi*;  joke.  'I'his  was  the  day  we  were  to  sail,  the 
10th  of  Novend)er;  seventeen  men  were  treadinf;  the  deck 
of  the  Diver,  imi)atieutly  waiting  for  the  word,  each  of 
them  acting  as  though  he  would  like  to  do  something,  hut 
his  contidence  was  lost  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Diver's  rig- 
ging, and  so  thought  it  hest  not  to  touch  anything,  for  it 
might  come  down, — who  knows  hut  it  might  after  Mr. 
Hooper's  litting  out ', 

We  went  to  Ahirhlehead,  the  clearance  port  of  Lynn. 
Mr.  Hooper  asked  nie  to  act  as  master  of  the  Diver  as  he 
could  not,  and  I  aci^epted.  We  cleared  the  vessel  for  San 
Francisco,  Cal.,  got  our  clearance  papers  all  right  and  re. 
turned  home  and  signed  the  crew  l)y  the  deputy. 

I  was  master  of  the  schooner  Diver,  i)ut  1  foresaw  trou- 
ble ahead  in  my  new  position.  The  navigator  and  Mr. 
Hooper  I  could  «(eo  watching  me  with  jealousy  in  their  de- 
meanor. Why  did  i  '.icy  appoint  me  master  i  Because  I 
was  the  only  navigau  r  in  the  company,  with  the  excein 
tion  of  Mr.  Rounds,  and  he,  being  a  Hritish  subject,  could 
not  take  charge  of  an  American  vessel ;  there  I  was,  master 
of  the  Diver,  but  not  a  bit  proud,  for  it  was  a  responsibil- 
ity not  to  be  envied. 

I  had  a  berth  to  myself  in  the  after-cabin  ;  Mr.  Hooper 


I'RKPA RATION    FOR   THK  CRUISE. 


m 


aii(,l  RoundH  liiul  tlie  twn  rooms  wliicli  tliey  liiid  (tlioscn  lin- 
t'ore  I  caiiii'  on  Itoiird  ;  Mr.  Iloytt  was  to  room  with  .\Fr. 
IIoo|H>r;  Mr.  liouiuls  roomed  hy  liimselt',  and  Uu;  otlier 
berth  was  o(;ciij)it'd  l»y  Mr.  Stewart,  a  sturdy  son  of  Mont- 
pelier,  \'«irmont.  There  was  tlie  Admiral,  a  tall,  six-Foot 
Do\vn-east<ir,  whom  I  saw  knew  what  kind  of  [)lank  he 
was  treadinff  on  ;  and  there  was  Carliff,  who  knew  nothinj^ 
ahoiit  a  vessel,  and  was  not  ashamed  to  say  so,  hut  wantt^d 
to  learn,  and  thonj^ht  he  would  soon  make  (juite  a  sailor, 
but  when  you  explained  to  him  some  of  the  workinj^s  of 
the  gear,  he  would  say,  "  Now,  what  is  the  philo8oi)liy  of 
this?"  and  so  he  posed  himself  for  arf^ument on  everythinj^ 
from  the  truck  to  the  keelson.  Tiie  rest  of  them  kept 
aloof,  they  did  not  want  to  learn,  or  else  they  were  in 
hopes  by  staying  back  they  would  give  the  im[)ression  that 
they  knew  enough.  This  was  tlie  day  we  must  sail.  The 
tide  came  in,  the  Diver  was  afloat,  but  Mi'.  Hooper  was 
not  on  board;  he  claimed  that  business  matters  were  [iress- 
ing  him  hard.  He  had  engaged  a  tug  boat  to  tow  us  out, 
our  line  was  let  go,  and  the  chain  that  had  been  our  safe- 
guard so  long  was  unfastened  amid  the  shouts  of  the  peo- 
ple crowding  the  wharf.  The  Diver  glided  silently  along, 
when  very  suddenly  slie  stopped, — this  meant  she  was  out 
of  the  channel  and  stuck  in  the  mud;  this  was  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  we  would  have  to  wait  until 
two  o'clock  next  morning  before  she  would  float,  so  we 
dropped  anchor  under  foot  and  the  boys  began  to  prepare 
to  go  on  shore  to  finish  out  the  night.  There  was  only 
one  boat  seaworthy,  but  they  managed  to  get  ashore  all 
right. 

I  stayed  on  board  with  two  or  three  others  and  kept 
ship ;  along  through  the  night  some  of  them  eanie 
down  and  hailed  us  but  the  boat  was  already  on  shore  and 
we  did  not  answer  their  hail,  so  they  went  back  and  joined 
their  companions  and  let  the  schooner  wait  for  them,  while 


B8 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


thoy  indulged  in  another  schooner  that  tliey  never  kept 
waiting,  but  its  contents  disappeared  very  rapidly  as  their 
stomachs  yawned  andexpan«led  to  each  lengthened  draught. 
Soon,  too  soon,  came  the  news  that  the  Diver  was  afloat, 
and  they  gazed  on  eadi  other  wondering  in  their  tiret  im- 
pulse if  they  should  not  shout  "  Hooray  I  we  have  floated 
her  at  last."  They  got  it  through  their  nuiddled  brains 
that  the  tide  had  come  in  and  floated  the  Diver,  and  they 
must  go  on  board,  and  they  began  to  realize  the  rocky 
waves  thty  had  floated  themselves  on  before  they  got 
down  to  the  tow  boat  that  was  waiting  to  take  them  <m 
board;  the  boat  came  alongside  with  our  jubilant  friends 
and  made  tliem  undei-stand  that  it  was  tlie  Diver  they 
must  f.o  on  l)oard,  and  not  the  tow  boat.  There  was  Mi-s. 
lIoo|  er,  who  came  tt)  see  her  loved  one  dej)art,— there  were 
no  jubilant  ft'ces  in  that  lot;  they  were  taken  IkjIow  away 
from  tlie  noise  of  the  crew,  a?ul  to  tiie  friends  who  came 
tc»  see  them  off,  it  was  a  disgraceful  sight.  Heie  were 
the  reputable  citizens,  forming  the  bone  and  sinew  of  our 
company,  all  in  a  l)eastly  state  of  intoxication, — I  had 
never  seen  any  woi"se  among  old  sailoi-s,  who  are  suppitsed 
to  enjoy  their  last  day  on  shore  in  a  similar  way. 

'I'he  tug  boat  gave  us  a  hawser  and  the  word  was  passed, 
"weigh  anchor,"  and  then  thcK  was  a  wild  rush  for  the 
end  of  the  Diver  we  call  the  l)ow  ;  they  were  crowding 
and  walking  over  each  other's  feet,  and  linally  swarmed  in 
the  bow  as  far  as  they  conbl  go  without  going  into  the 
sea.  Yes,  this  nnist  l)e  the  place  to  operatr,  and  simie  did 
operate  with  their  heads  over  the  vessel's  side ;  they  gave 
back  to  Lynn  what  they  were  forbidden  to  carry  away  with 
them ;  after  a  struggle  and  two  or  three  getting  upset,  the 
windlass  brakes  were  shipfied  and  the  anchor  was  raised 
without  any  casualty,  and  the  Diver  was  towed  out  of  the 
harbor.  The  next  onler  was  given  to  make  sail,  "  I  Joist 
the  foresail."     There  was  another  rush,  for  there  were  two 


.:j>  ■,■■•. 

HH^HB 

,  ■  ,    ';„...,:-vi., 

'  ■ 

'  ■     ■'. 

■  i  1 

I.KAVINU    LYNN,    NOl .    lO,    l8j). 


PREPARATION   FOR   THE   CKUISE. 


89 


sailors  in  the  crowd  that  these  men  attempted  to  follow, 
but  it  being  dark,  they  followed  the  wrong  man,  and  came 
running  aft,  chasing  one  another  around  the  afterhouse, 
stumbling  over  loose  ropes  tliat  happened  to  lie  in  their 
way,  but  finally  seeing  where  they  were  wanted,  rushed 
down  on  their  fellows  like  a  lot  of  frightened  colts,  and 
began  to  pull  the  fii-st  rope  they  couhl  lay  their  hands  on. 
I  could  see  that  the  foresail  was  hoisted  by  some  one,  so  I 
did    not  put  myself  out  of  the  way  to  find  out  which 
party  it  was,  but  I  knew  it  could  not  In?  those  who  were 
hauling  on  the  jil)  halliards  with  the  <lown  haid  fast.     The 
foresail  was  up  and  '*  behp-  all "  was  given,  then  the  next 
order  was  "hoist  the  njainsail."       Here  was  some  hard 
work  for  the  l>oys  ;  tiiey  were  getting  pretty  well  fatigued, 
and  the  mainsail  was  a  heavy  sail,  so  they  grasi)ed  the 
halliards  with  a  grip  that  meant  their  courage  was  gnod 
for  this  one  sail,  and    they    struggled    and    kicked    and 
stamped  on  each  other's  feet,  their  main  effort  seem'.ig  to 
be  to  get  their  hands  on  top,— if  it  liuit  the  hands  iinder- 
neath  they  were  supposed  to  lK?ar  it,  this  was  only  a  slight 
taste  of  the  sailoi-s"  woes,  so  keep  on  top  was  their  nu)tto  : 
some  poor  fellow  who  was  luulerneath  would  break  away 
frou)  the  struggling  mass  and  after  a  few  l»reaths  of  fresh 
air  would  make  a  spring  for  upper  liand  and  catch  the 
man's  hands  that  were  uppermost — perhaps  a  sore  finger — - 
then,  with  a  muttered  curse,  out  wouUi  c«mie  the  man  with 
tlie  sore  finger  with  an  expression  of  psiin  and  disgust   on 
his  counteiiance.     "  .\  bad  place   for  a  sore  finger,"*  said 
I.     He  admitted  that  it  was,  t'le'i  tried  to  get  a  ludd  <»n 
some  other  part  where  the  crowd  was  not  S'*  vicious  and 
was  doing  no  good.      The  mainsail  wa*»  u^t  ai  last  and   1 
ordered  the  jib  set,  after  wliid.   the  tow    lH>at  whistle*!   to 
let  go  the  hawsor  ;  this  Ijelag  done  the  tug  came  alongside 
to  take  those  on  ah.ore  who  were  not  going  in  the  Diver. 
The  ladies  came  on  deck  stricken  with  irrief :  thev  seemed 


40 


TO  THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


to  have  no  hopes  of  ever  meeting  their  ioved  ones  again. 
Mrs.  Hooper  clung  to  lier  husband  as  if  she  could  not  let 
him  go,  and  with  her  head  on  his  shoulder  whispered  to 
him  what  her  heart  felt,  as  he  supported  her  over  the  rail 
on  to  the  tow  boat  deck,  while  Mi's.  Hoytt  could  not  be 
comforted  ;  with  her  arms  around  her  husband's  neck  she 
sobbed  hysterically.  Tears  came  to  my  eyes  at  this  sad 
scene  of  parting,  for  I  thought  of  those  whom  I  had  left 
behjii^  :^nd  T  stepped  beliind  the  mainmast  to  better  over- 
come V  itions,  when  I  felt  a  hand  laid  on  my  arm, 
and  there  is  Mrs.  Hooper's  sister  standing  by  my  side. 
"  I  came  to  bid  you  good-bye,  you  seem  to  be  alone,"  said 
she,  and  1  took  the  proffered  hand.  She  wished  us  a  safe 
and  prosperous  voyage,  and  as  the  towboat  called  all 
aboard,  stepped  lightly  over  the  rail  and  the  towboat  was 
gone. 


CHAPTER   II. 

FROM  LVNX    TO    NOVA    SCOTIA. — A    HEAVY    STOHM    IS   EN- 
COUNTERED THROUGH  WHICH    THE    DIVEIl    PASSES 
SAFELY. — EXPERIENCES  OF  A  SEA-SICK  CREW. — 
AT  ANCHOR  AT  BRYER's  ISLAND. 


When  tlie  towboat  cast  off  the  hawser  and  left  us 
I  betran  to  look  around  to  sei  \vhere  we  were.  Wo 
were  down  oft'  little  Nahant,  with  a  fair  breeze  and  tide ; 
and  were  soon  shaping  our  course  for  Thatcher's  Island 
light.  It  was  getting  on  towards  dajlight  and  we  divided 
our  men  into  two  watches,  port  and  starboard,  and  sent 
one  watch  below  while  the  other  patrolled  the  deck  with 
a  fair  wind  and  tide.  We  were  soon  outside  of  the  Cape 
and  siiaped  our  course  for  Bryer's  Island,  N.  S.  That 
morning  at  breakfast  the  boys  did  very  Avell,  but  poor 
Ricker  was  lying  on  his  back  in  his  berth,  so  sick  he  could 
not  hold  his  head  up ;  some  of  the  boys  had  their  break- 
fast on  deck.  I  could  not  eat  what  they  placed  before  me,, 
there  was  too  strong  a  suspit  ion  of  a  cook's  slush  flavored 
with  rusty  kettles,  so  I  turned  in  for  a  nap  and  was  soon 
fast  asleep.  I  slept  until  eight  bells  when  I  went  on  deck  ; 
it  was  almost  a  calm  ;  the  sky  looked  to  me  as  though  we 
were  going  to  have  a  change  of  Avind,  the  barometer  was 
falling  and  the  navigator  looked  uneas3- ;  the  wind  came 
in  cats-paws  with  little  rain,  and  the  eastern  sky  began 
to  look  dark  and  threatening.  As  the  sun  went  down  and 
night  came  on,  we  took  in  our  light  sails  and  made  every- 
thing secure  for  a  storm ;  putting  up  our  side  lights,  we 
stood  ready  for  whatever  came  our  way,  and  it  seemed  as 

(41) 


42 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


if  something  was  coming,  and  coming  rapidly  too,  in  tlie 
sliai)e  of  a  huge  hhick  hank  that  was  spreading  its  length 
over  the  sky,  racing  down  upon  us  like  some  great  winged 
monster.  The  stars  disappeared  one  by  one  until  the 
whole  sky  was  one  dark  pall  and  we  were  enveloped  com- 
pletely, when  out  of  the  l)lackue8s  came  that  moan  that 
indicates  the  gale  was  near  us. 

"■  Take  in  the  mainsail  I  "  was  the  order,  and  the  main- 
sail was  lowered  and  secured  just  as  the  storm  l)roke  over 
us.  We  had  the  jibs  in  and  nothing  but  the  foresail 
standing,  so  we  hove  her  to  and  the  little  vessel,  as  she 
bounded  from  billow  to  billow,  dashed  the  spray  high  over 
us.  the  rain  and  the  sleet  l»eatiug  in  our  faces  as  we  tried 
to  peer  through  the  density  of  the  night  for  any  danger 
that  might  lie  in  our  path.  I  looke«l  to  sec  how  many 
men  I  iiad,  and  could  see  only  one  dark  figure  standing  by 
the  foremast  holding  on  to  all  the  ropes  he  conld  get  into 
.his  hands,  and  the  spray  wetting  him  down  with  every 
plunge  the  Diver  made.  My  watch  had  all  deserted  me 
but  two,  one  at  the  wheel  and  the  one  away  up  forward  ; 
sometime  th'ough  niy  watch  this  <lark  figure  began  to  move 
cautiously  towards  me.  "  Is  this  you,  Mr.  Winchester/ "' 
he  said ;  and  before  I  couhl  answer,  he  continued,  "  Now 
you  juust  excuse  me  for  taking  the  lilierty  of  addressing 
you,  l)Ut  I  always  try  to  do  my  duty,  and  when  I  see  a 
wrong  I  like  to  sjjcak  of  it.  Xow,  1  am  no  sailor  like  you, 
but  I  think  some  of  the  boys  should  have  stayed  up  and 
given  you  a  chance  to  go  below."  The  speaker's  name 
wa.s  Carliff ;  he  had  rather  a  peculiar  way  of  addressing 
one  ;  I  was  standing  holding  on  to  the  main  rigging  with 
my  liack  to  the  storm  and  Carliff  stood  holding  onto  the 
same  and  facing  the  weather.  "  Is  there  an}'  one  forward 
l>esides  you  {  "  "  No,  sir,"  he  replied,  and  just  as  I  was 
going  to  tell  him  to  go  below  and  change  his  wet  clothes  for 
<lr3-  ones,  a  heavy  sea  struck  us  just  forward  of  the  main 


FliOM   LYNN   TO   NOVA    SCOTIA. 


48 


rigging,  completely  iimiiersiiig  us,  and  the  Diver  gave  a 
heavy  lurch  to  leeward.  Poor  Carliff  let  go  his  hold  and 
I  saw  him  shooting  across  the  deck,  sitting  as  upright  as 
a  hoy  coasting  down  hill  on  a  shingle,  but  the  termination 
was  not  the  same  as  the  hoy's  would  he,  for  the  deck  being 
full  of  water,  I  could  see  (  arlitt"  wallowing,  grabbing  and 
gasping,  until  he  caught  hold  of  some  rigging  and  raised 
himself  on  his  feet;  lie  clung  here  a  few  minutes  and 
looked  around  him,  as  if  to  make  suie  he  was  still  on  Ijoard 
of  the  Diver,  then  he  began  to  move  toward  me,  and  when 
he  was  in  hailing  distance  1  told  him  to  go  below  and  put 
on  dry  clothes.  "  It  is  not  your  watch  on  deck,  your  watch 
is  below,  my  man.  Go  and  get  some  sleep,  you  may  be 
wanted  soon,"  l)Ut  he  coidd  not  understand  why  it  was  and 
what  was  meant  by  my  saying  it  was  his  watch  lielow,  but 
-he  was  willing  to  learn,  was  the  last  I  heard  through  the 
roar  of  the  sea,  as  he  passed  along  forward  and  disappeared 
down  the  fore  scuttle. 

I  was  cold  and  hungry  but  liiere  was  nothing  I  could 
get  to  eat,  as  the  cook  was  sick  with  the  rest,  so  I  nmst 
wait  for  fair  weather.  Toward  daylight  the  wind  blew 
heavier  and  I  watched  the  foresail,  with  every  fibre  strained 
to  its  utmost,  and  though  it  was  a  new  sail  I  feared  it 
would  not  stsmd  much  longer.  We  talked  of  the  feasibil- 
ity of  reefing  it,  if  we  could  get  our  men  out  to  help.  I 
went  forward  and  down  into  the  forecastle  to  rouse  them. 
I  called  aloud  for  them  to  turn  out  and  reef  the  foresail, 
but  got  no  answer,  only  a  stifled  groan  from  some  poor 
fellow  strangling  for  a  bit  of  fresh  air,  and  trying  to  hold 
down  that  inward  feeling  that  seemed  determined  to  rise 
up  in  spite  of  all  his  exertions.  The  sight  of  this  place 
beggared  description.  Ten  men  were  lying  there,  all  of 
them  sick,  and  the  stench  that  arose  was  more  than  I  could 
stand,  and  as  I  felt  my  stomach  begin  to  give  away,  I 
sprang  upon  deck  and  reported  to  two  or  three  there  that 


44 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


we  could  not  hope  for  any  lielp  from  that  part  of  the  ves- 
sel. As  the  vessel  was  fallhij;  off  with  too  much  head- 
sail,  we  tliouglit  it  advisal)le  to  set  the  storm  try-sail.  It 
was  stowed  heiieath  the  cabin  floor  so  I  went  l)elow  to  help 
get  it  on  deck,  and  there  lay  ])ej)age  on  tlie  cabin  floor  as 
far  to  leeward  as  she  could  throw  him,  the  cuspidore  hav- 
ing followed  him  in  his  slide  and  now  rested  under  his 
head,  brimming  over  with  tobacco  juice,  and  he  so  sick, — 
"Take  it  away,  take  it  away."  he  moaned,  but  his  plead- 
ings were  not  heeded  as  we  handed  up  the  storm-sail,  and 
M'ere  soon  busy  l)ending  it:  that  took  some  time  with  our 
small  crowd  of  workers,  but  llnally  we  got  it  set  and  tlie 
Diver  Itegan  to  head  up  to  the  wind  and  make  better 
weather. 

Tlie  storm  came  down  upon  us  in  all  its  fury,  the 
mountain-like  waves  lashed  the  sides  of  our  sturdy 
little  craft,  and  rolled  away  in  seething  foam,  while  blind- 
ing sheets  of  spray  fell  over  us.  I  was  wet  and  chilled, 
uiy  boots  tilled  with  water,  and  my  hands  benund)ed  with 
the  cold.  Some  one  got  me  a  cup  of  coffee  that  I  was 
very  thankful  for,  and  the  day  broke  dismally,  for  the 
storm  clouds,  dark  and  unyielding,  bore  heav}'  on  us,  while 
each  succeeding  wave  seemed  striving  to  swallow  us  up. 

The  Diver  rode  out  the  storm  well;  our  foresail  held  on, 
and  as  long  as  that  stood,  I  saw  that  she  was  master  of  the 
situation.  Mr.  Hooper  came  to  me  and  advised  cutting 
away  the  steam  launch  that  was  lashed  on  deck,  and  letting 
her  go  overboard.  He  said  she  was  liable  to  break  loose 
and  would  smash  up  everything.  "  If  we  cut  her  away 
she  will  smash  up  everything,  and  she  seems  to  be  holding 
on  well,  so  I  think  we  will  keep  her  for  a  time  yet,"  I  re- 
plied. He  said  no  more,  and  the  launch  was  saved.  To- 
ward noon  there  seemed  tobe  a  change  taking  place,  so  we 
looked  out  for  a  sudden  shift  of  the  wind  from  some  other 
quarter,  and  we  dearly  hoped  for  a  west  wind.  I  felt  quite 


I 


m 


I 


IN   A   STORM    IN   THE   BAY   OF    FLSDY. 


FUoM    LYiNN    TO   NOVA    8(M)TIA. 


45 


I'oiitideiit  that  we  would  j^et  it  and  sure  enough  the  «>;ale 
went  down  and  tlie  mist  Id'oke  away  in  the  west,  and  we 
cotdd  see  the  send  ha/.in^  across  the  sky  like  some  great 
unny  in  hasty  retreat.  We  l>egan  to  make  sail  on  the 
Diver,  as  a  fresh  westerly  wind  overtook  us  and  swelled 
out  our  canvas  once  more  to  a  fair  breeze,  as  we  shaped 
our  course  again  for  Hryer's  Island.  The  sea  soon  ran. 
down  and  we  were  sailing  along  on  (|uite  smooth  water. 

^^'e  sighted  the  hills  of  Matimicus  and  as  Mr.  Hooper  and 
Mr.  Rounds  were  both  good  pilots  in  these  vvatei-s, — with 
clear  weather  and  the  wind  holding,  would  soon  land  us, — 
we  had  a  fine  night  of  it,  with  a  clear  sky  and  a  good 
breeze.  Next  day  we  sighted  Hryer's  Island  and  went  into 
the  harbor  in  fine  shape  and  dropped  anchor  on  the  oi)po- 
site  side  of  the  harbor  away  from  the  town,  for  Mr.  Hooper 
and  Mr.  Rounds  both  lived  on  this  side.  Mr.  Hooper  re- 
ported no  custom  house  work  to  do,  so  the  boat  was  low- 
ered and  he  and  Mr.  Rounds  were  set  on  shore.  All  the 
boys  were  up  on  deck  now,  looking  rather  thin  after  their 
sickness  ;  the  cook  had  got  his  apparatus  set  in  order  and 
was  doing  his  part  as  though  nothing  had  happened,  in  fact, 
nothing  had  happened,  so  far  as  they"  knew  or  could  tell,, 
though  they  seemed  to  remember  on  the  night  of  the 
storm  that  Ryan,  who  scented  danger,  raised  himself  out 
of  his  berth  and  wanted  to  know  why  we  did  not  set  out 
our  signals  of  distress,  then  fell  back  into  his  berth,  which 
he  began  to  realize  was  the  best  place  for  Mr.  Ryan.  This 
was  all  they  knew  of  the  storm,  so  it  was  not  talked  of  a 
great  deal. 

We  were  invited  on  shore  on  Sunday  to  see  the  town 
and  Mr.  Hooper's  friends,  of  whom  he  had  a  great  m'l;  > 
We  accepted,  and  passed  a  very  pleasant  day ;  we  called 
on  his  brother  who  entertained  us  with  some  good  music 
and  singing.  These  men  were  all  fishermen  or  sailors,  or 
both ;  they  had  very  respectable  looking  homes  and  the 


46 


TO   THE    ALASKAN   GOIJ»    KIKI^DS. 


woniiMi  were  liiinl  working  and  tidy,  and  uiidei-stood  wiiere 
to  placo  til*'  small  mite  to  malvo  it  count  most.  Wo  spent 
a  very  a<j:reeal)lo  day  tliun  returned  to  the  schooner. 

I  did  not  feel  very  easy  laying  there  ;  it  seemed  to  me 
we  ought  to  lie  on  our  voyage,  hut  .Mr.  Hooper  eonhl  not 
get  any  potatoes,  so  he  had  to  send  to  Varmoutli  for  them, 
and  it  woidd  tjU\e  a  weelc  or  ten  days.  In  tiie  meantime 
we  were  l)Usy  on  hoard  the  Diver;  we  hrought  the  dories 
upon  deck,  and  put  the  steam  launch  into  the  hold,  hut  not 
before  sawing  off  a  |)ortion  of  one  end  ;  we  huilt  a  hin  for 
the  j)otat()e.s,  and  got  our  coal  ready  to  sack,  then  hegan  to 
h)ok  the  Diver  over  for  any  hidden  ndshaps  that  the  sttirm 
had  left  with  us,  and  we  found  one  which  might  have  Ijccn 
quite  a  serio\is  one;  un  eye  holt,  two  and  one-quarter 
inches  square,  that  the  f(U'e  peak  halliards  lilock  had  hooked 
into,  was  Itroken  half  way  through,  so  here  were  mor»;  re- 
pairs, hut  it  was  well  we  found  it,  for  it  would  not  have 
hvsted  long  in  another  storm.  We  took  it  down  in  order 
to  get  a  new  one,  Imt  found  wc  could  not  get  any  on 
shore,  for  they  didn't  have  iron  large  enough,  so  we  had  to 
send  across  the  hay  to  St.  John's,  proiiahly  two  weeks 
more  time  to  wait. 

Mr.  Hooper  now  hegan  to  hint  that  it  was  not  a 
very  safe  anchorage  for  the  Diver  where  she  lay,  and  we 
had  hetter  change  over  to  liryer's  Island  proper,  as  it  was  a 
good,  safe  harhor.  I  agreed  with  him  there,  and  at  high 
tide  we  got  under  way,  hut  found  oiir  anchor  fast  to  the 
bottom,  under  a  rock,  and  we  could  not  break  it  out.  It 
liappened  this  way:  Two  or  three  nights  after  we  arrived 
the  wind  breezed  up  and  blew  pretty  hard,  nndiing  quite  a 
choppy  sea ;  of  course  we  had  anchor  watch  nights,  and  I 
supjxised  it  went  on  regular,  but  it  seems  that  the  men 
whose  watch  it  was  some  time  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
got  sick  from  the  rough  sea  that  came  in  ;  there  was  one 
who  had  never  kept  watch,  and  they  called  on  him  to  take 


KltO.M    LYNN    TO    NOVA    .SCOTIA. 


47 


their  places ;  this  one  was  Mr.  Hyaii.  Ilechiimed  lie  did 
nut  know  how,  hiit  after  a  j^reat  fnss  he  <rot  out  on  iiis 
feet,  put  on  hia  elothe.s,  and  opening  the  l)ull\iiead  door  that 
leads  into  the  hold,  disappeared  into  the  darkness,  stnni- 
hlinj^  over  harrels  and  hoxes.  At  last  lie  caini!  i)a(k  and 
wanted  to  know  how  they  expected  him  to  watch  the 
anchor  when  he  couldn't  see  it  without  a  light  ;  wiiy  didn't 
they  give  him  a  lantern  i  They  got  him  in  and  explained 
he  must  go  on  deck  and  watcii  the  weather,  hut  I{yan  took 
exce[»tions  and  claimed  they  said  anchor,  and  nothing 
ai)out  the  weather.  He  had  got  a  sore  shin  l)y  their  di 
recting  him  wrong  in  the  lii-st  place,  and  he  t'elt  that  he  had 
a  clear  ea.se  against  them.  "  Hold  on,  Ityan,  until  we  tell 
you,  you  must  watch  the  weather,  and  if  it  hlows  liaider, 
or  the  Diver  should  l)reak  adrift,  you  i  ust  call  tlu'  old 
man."  Kyan  couldn't  .see  hut  what  hiscase  would  exempt 
him  from  this  duty,  and  so  he  argued  iintil  they  all  fell 
asleep,  and  the  Diver  hroke  adrift,  and  if  her  anchor  had 
not  i^aught,  we  shouhl  have  gone  on  ti>  a  point  of  rocks, 
and  that  would  have  heeu  the  last  of  the  Diver  and  possi- 
hly  some  of  us.  Hut  now  wo  must  get  the  anchor  up,  as 
we  had  hoth  main  and  foresail  set.  We  set  the  jih,  she 
filled,  and  the  anchor  hroke  away,  and  soon  we  luul  it  on 
our  how,  with  a  had  hend  in  the  shank.  It  was  a  wondei 
we  got  it,  hut  it  could  he  straightened  or  used  as  it  wa.s. 

Mr.  Hooper  and  his  hrother  were  to  pilot  her  over  to  a 
safe  anchorage,  and  they  stood  at  the  wheel  and  argued  : 
"  That  is  as  good  a  place  as  you  can  put  her."  "  No,  too 
near  those  other  vessels."  "If  I  had  the  say  I  would  anchor 
there  in  deeper  water."  "  No,  there  is  a  counter  current, 
and  she  will  swing  into  it  and  foul."  Hut  they  anchored 
there,  and  although  we  had  some  trouhle  with  the  strong 
currents,  it  was  a  very  good  place.  Here  Mr.  Hooper  in- 
formed us  that  they  were  making  arrangements  for  a  hig 
-entertainment  for  us  on  shore,  and  we  nn       he  sure  and 


48 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


come  ;  the  vessel  would  stjiy  alone  idl  right,  if  the  weather 
was  not  too  had  ;  he  woidd  send  and  let  us  know  when  it 
woidd  tiike  place.  This  made  something  more  for  th«  boj'S 
to  talk  <yver,  besides,  we  lia;'  plenty  of  visitora  looking 
over  the  vessel  and  at  us  ;  they  did  not  seem  to  be  very 
sociable,  some  not  even  speaking,  but  pondering  over  ever}' 
new  thng  they  saw,  and  seeming  to  wonder  within  them- 
selves whether  this  was  a  li'.iml)Ug  or  a  genuine  fact,  for 
the  Yankees  are  so  deuced  clever,  you  know.  If  rhey  had 
asked  me  my  opinion  about  that  time,  I  couid  not  have 
answererl,  for  it  was  as  much  a  mystery  to  me  then  as  in 
the  beginning,  and  so  it  was  with  these  men.  Mr.  IIooi)er 
had  .brought  something  to  Bryer's  Island  for  the  poople  to 
wonder  over,  something  that  had  never  l)een  before,  and 
never  would  be  again.  Could  it  l)e  possible  that  this  ves- 
sel was  going  around  tiie  cape  to  Ahiska  ?  Some  said  she 
was  going  fishing,—  l)ut  there  was  Captain  Hounds,  what 
of  him  ?  "  Oh,  I  don't  believe  he  is  goiuL'."'  "  Yes,  his 
wife  told  Mrs.  So  and  So  that  he  was,  for  sure,  and  she 
feels  very  bad  over  it."  "  I'm  sure  I  would  not  want  our 
A  If  to  go,  if  there  is  i)lenty  of  gold  out  there.  Suppose 
anything  should  hapiien,  what  then  i "'  "  Well,  if  Alf 
wanted  to  go,  I  don't  think  you  could  stop  him.  You  can't 
blame  Mrs.  Hounds  if  her  husband  wants  to  go."  And  so 
they  gossiped  about  town  every  day. 

A  chicko'i  halibut  wa.s  thrown  on  our  dock  by  some- 
iiivsterious  boatuia:?. — I  never  saw  him  or  his  boat,  but  I 
saw  a  hilihiit  come  Hying  over  the  mil  every  day.  I 
couldn't  say  he  was  dead  when  he  ni.rde  his  tii-st  ap|)ear- 
ance  over  the  rail,  but  he  wius  dead  when  he  struck  the- 
deck,  and  as  our  cook  caught  hold  ol  him,  he  brandisiied  a 
l)ig  knife  wlii'-?h  he  •  eld  in  his  hand  as  though  he  feared  it 
would  fly  back  into  the  sea.  We  enjoyed  our  fried  halibut, 
so  fresh  and  tender,  i)Ut  our  dreams  of  enchanted  fishing 
grounds  and  flying  iialibut   were  bi-ought  to  an  end,  as  a 


FUOM   LYNX   TO   NOVA   SCOTIA. 


49 


good  clean  bill  was  presented,  and  we  had  to  pay  for  tJie 
luxury  that  we  thought  was  presented  to  us  througli  tlie 
good  will  and  wishes  of  the  people.  They  had  won  the 
hearts  of  the  bojs  through  their  Stomachs,  liut  the  truth 
was  so  sudden  it  caused  a  i)anic  in  the  cook's  departuient, 
when  a  junk  of  salt  horse  was  put  in  soak  for  the  next 
meal. 

"This  is  the  night  of  the  entertainment,  Ikivs.  put  on 
j'our  l)est  togs.  You  are  to  meet  iiere  the  elite  ttf  I>ryer"s 
Island.''  Ryan  had  a  fiddle.  This  was  news.  "Couhl 
he  play '!  "  Ves,  Ryan  could  play  on  tlie  Hddle.  *•  Hring 
it  along,  we  are  ratlier  short  of  artists,  an«l  you  will  lielp 
us  out."  Gefjrge  had  a  harmonica  and  a  guitar,  and  he 
would  Iielp.  too.  We  dressed  for  tlie  entertainr.ient.  I 
wore  a  sheepskin  coat,  a  pair  of  felt  mocassins,  ami  a  white 
shirt,  with  fancy  necktie ;  the  rest  were  all  in  similar  at- 
tire. 

We  maimed  two  dories  and  rowed  acrc»ss  the  chan- 
nel— it  was  a  very  dark  night,  and  wt-  had  some  tmuhle 
finding  our  way  along  the  shore,  getting  on  ro«*ks.  pushing 
and  tugging  to  get  our  lioat  along,  hut  at  last  a  wharf 
loomed  up  through  the  darkness.      It  was  what  we  wanunl. 


antl 


we  rowe( 


1   our   boat   alontfsiilc.    took    lUit    our   oai-s. 


jumped  on  shore,  and  took  the  road  fur  the  [ilace  of  en- 
tertainment. There  was  no  one  there  to  meet  us  with  a 
brass  band,  but  we  foiuid  Mr.  Rounds  on  the  mad  and  fol- 
lowed him  up  to  the  Temperam-c  Hall,     lie  jKL-sed  us  in. 


and  I  felt  like  a  big  curiosity  in  a  dime  show. 


-every 


bcxh 


was  looking  me  over, 


an* 


1    I 


exj 


»ec 


ted 


anv  momen 


t   tl 


lev 


woidd  feel  my  flesh  to  see  if  I  was  genuine  .»r  a  make-up. 
The  people  were  very  kind  and  enter  ainiiig :  the  hall 
was  decoratiMl  with  festooned  bunting,  and  a  lai-ge  Hritish 
flag  spread  on  the  wall  v/here  Mr.  lloojH>r  was  to  sit.  The 
aljsence  of  our  Hag  was  cjuite  noticeable  to  our  men,  for 
we  felt  that  thuy  should  have  decfirated  with  our  tiag  out 


n 


, 


60 


TO  THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


of  respect  for  us,  in  some  part  of  the  hall,  but  perhaps 
they  did  not  know,  so  we  will  excuse  them.  There  was  a 
large  number  of  people,  young  and  old.  We  stood  around 
the  stove  like  a  lot  of  school  boys  in  a  country  school- 
house  ;  perhaps  we  were  trying  to  keep  warm,  anyhow  we 
stood  around  the  stove  and  grinned  at  each  other,  as  a  few 
of  the  girls  came  in  pairs  and  tried  to  draw  us  out.  But 
no,  we  clung  together,  as  though  separation  meant  destruc- 
tion, and  our  courage  would  almost  leave  us  as  we  were 
charged  on  by  these  feminine  raidera.  No,  sir,  they  could 
not  have  us,  but  they  did  get  some  of  the  boys  and 
marched  them  off,  hopeless  captives,  to  show  them  all  the 
interesting  things  in  the  hall. 

I  noticed  quite  a  commotion  on  the  other  side  of  the 
hall,  where  the  flags  were;  there  was  a  very  long  table 
covered  with  a  white  cloth  and  spread  with  eatables,  and 
here  the  women  congregated ;  they  seemed  to  I)e  gliding 
past  each  other  with  noiseless  footsteps  and  whisperings, 
smiling  through  their  confidence  in  tlieir  great  success, — 
they  arranged  this  table  for  the  feast, —  and  the  men  stood 
around,  waiting  and  watching,  with  smiles  of  satisfaction 
on  their  honest  faces,  for  it  was  their  wives  and  daughters 
they  saw  before  them,  so  diligent  in  their  precepts  as  they 
prepared  tliis  meal  of  which  we  were  all  to  partake,  and 
which  took  place  in  this  way  :  the  men  were  all  sent  out 
of  doors  and  formed  in  single  file,  with  Mr.  Hooper  at  their 
head ;  I  came  next  to  him.  We  marched  into  the  hall, 
looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  and  I  was  seated  op- 
posite Mr.  Hooper,  who  sat  under  the  British  ensign,  with 
a  buxom  lass  on  his  right  to  help  bim  enjoy  the  evening's 
repast.  I  began  to  think  I  ought  to  feel  slighted  ;  how 
was  it  they  neglected  to  give  me  a  young  lady  companion  i 
Of  course  I  had  a  wife  at  home,  but  so  had  Mr.  Hooper. 
Well,  I  must  overlook  this  gross  negligence  on  their  part. 

The  first  coui"se  being  served,  I  commenced  to  eat, — I 


FROM    LYNN   TO   NOVA   SCOTIA. 


51 


could  do  this  without  instruction,  as  the  first  course  was  a 
clam  chowder.     This  soon  vanished,  and  so  did  the  other 
good  things  that  came  along,  one  after  another,  and  as  I 
began  to   feel  the  abundance  of  that  table,  I  thought  it 
wise  to  sit  back  with  those  who  ha«l  showed  such  wonder- 
ful display  of  forethought,  and  enjoy  the  sight  of  watching 
the  rest,  but  supper  soon  passed  over,  and  the  bustle  l)egan 
of  getting  ready  for  tl»e  entertainment  and  arranging  the 
seats  where  best  t«)  look  on  the  stage.     The   jierformance 
began.     There  was  the  man  with    a    violin,  and  a  young 
lady  presiding  at  the  orgtin.     For  a   while  we  had  some 
excellent  music,  then  a  quartette  of  singers,  and  so  they 
went  on  until  intermission  :  then    DocUir  Strongjtrm  ajv 
proached  me  with  the  intention  of  inti-oducing  me  to  all 
the  ladies  in  the  hall,  but  I  declined  to  leave  my  seat.  The 
doctor  arose  and  made  a  speech  :  he  said  that  I  was  going 
to  a  eountiy  where  I  would  see  no  females  but  Esquimo 
squaws,  and  here  I  had  refused  a  social  time,  a*<  he  termed 
it,  with  those  of  my  own  race  and  color.     Wh.ii  sort  of  a 
man  could  I  be  '.     And  thus  he  went  on,  but  he  faile<l  to 
touch  the  festive  chord,  and  gswe  it  uj      '  >rderwas  called, 
and  the  entertainment  went  on,  when  suUiieuly  there  was 
a  pause  :  not  a  sound  couhl  l»e  heard:  everylxMly  he'  '  their 
breaths,  except  a  poor  old  kdy,  who  had  a  bivl  cough,  ind 
could  keep  silent  no  longer :  she  began  to  cough  in  spite 
of  her  determination  to   keep  (lUiet.     Now  and  then  we 
could  hear  a  giggle  from  some  young  miss   who  had  luit 
the  control  over  her  risibilities,  as  had  some  of  her  more 
fortunate  friends,  but  the  rest  soon  caught  tlie  giggle,  and 
it  became  general ;  though  there  was  nothing  to  laugh  at, 
we  all  laughed ;  my  friend  who  sat  next  to  me  brought 
out  his  new  red  bandanna  and  wijied  tears  from  his  eyes, 
and  said  it  was  the  funniest  ^  roceeding  he  had  ever  wit- 
nessed.    Oilier  was  called  and  an  explanation  wtis  given. 
The  reiison  of  the  pause  was  that  Mr.  Kyau  was  on  the  list 


-52 


TO  THE    ALASKAN   GOLD   FIRFiDS. 


with  his  fiddle,  and  they  had  overlooked  him  by  mistake ; 
they  were  very  sorry,  but  would  Mr.  Hyan  please  come  for- 
ward and  give  the  audience  some  of  his  choice  solos  on  his 
violin.  Mr.  Ryan  responded  with  a  rush,  his  face  flushed 
with  excitement ;  his  hand  tifj[htly  jj^rasped  the  neck  of 
the  fiddle,  as  if  it  had  refused  to  sound  some  note,  and  he 
was  trying  t<i  choke  it  into  obedience,  while  he  sawed  away 
with  his  bow, — it  sounded  to  me  like  the  recent  exhibition 
we  had  just  witnessed  of  the  old  lady  choking  for  breath. 
Mr.  Ryan  finished  up  his  part  with  the  "  Irish  washer- 
woman," made  a  stiff  bow  and  dropped  out  of  sight. 

The  next  on  the  list  was  George  and  his  harmonica. 
George  came  uj)  to  the  front  of  the  stage  and  explained 
he  had  left  his  best  harmonica  at  home, — this  was  one  he 
happened  to  have  in  his  pocket.  Fie  did  not  think  he 
could  play  on  it,  but  they  called  out,  "  Play  I  I'layl"  so 
(Jeorge  played  the  "  Mocking  Bii-d,"  with  a  few  other 
select  pieces,  and  left  the  stiige.  After  more  singing  and 
l)laying  by  the  (luartette  the  entertainment  was  over,  an<l 
some  of  the  boys  tried  to  incite  othei-s  to  dance,  but  danc- 
ing was  strictly  prohibited  in  that  connnnnity,  so  they 
played  country  plays,  with  all  the  laughing,  grabbing  and 
kissing  admissible.  They  soon  tired  of  this  sport,  and  as 
the  hour  drew  near  for  us  to  depart,  the  kissing  ended,  the 
exhibition  was  over  for  the  night,  and  wc  got  our  coats 
and  hats,  and  left  the  hall  for  the  schooner  Diver.  Cajitain 
Rounds  induced  me  to  stay  all  night  at  his  house,  and  the 
Admiral  and  I  occupied  one  I)eil.  'bleeping  until  called  by 
the  captain.  We  got  breakfast,  then  went  on  l)oard  the 
Diver,  where  we  found  the  boys  enjoying  a  barrel  of  ap- 
ples, and  we  helped  ourselves  likewise. 

Our  potatoes  arrived  that  day  and  so  did  the  iron  work 
for  the  foremast.  We  filled  up  our  water  casks  again  and 
were  ready  tf)  sail.  The  custom  house  was  deternnncd 
that  we  should  enter  and  clear  the  port, — wc  had  laid  there 


FROM    LYNN  TO   NOVA  SCOTIA.  M 

SO  long, — 80  I  went  on  shore  and  cleared  the  custom 
house.  When  I  returned  on  board  I  found  the  windlass 
manned  and  the  men  heaving  away  with  a  will.  The  nav- 
igator came  on  board  after  saying  the  long  farewell  to  his 
friends,  we  hoisted  our  sails  and  were  soon  out  on  th& 
ocean,  pushing  our  way  for  the  gulf  stream. 


II 


(•iL\PTi:i{  III. 

THE     I..»N(i      VOYAfiK     t'OMMENCKK. —  lilNMNC     THllOUGH 

THE   CUM'     STHF.AM      INTO     WAltM     WEATHKli. — THE 

>IA1)    IKXi    TAKES  COMMAND.— I»K1XKIN(;    WATKK 

KUX.S    SHOUT     AM)     A     STOl'     IS     MADE     To 

ItEI'LENlSH    THE   Sll'l'LY. 


The  boys  looked  cresttallen  as  tliey  jra/ed  over  the 
side  of  the  vessel,  iiml  saw  the  long  roUei's  swell  larger 
and  larger,  as  we  advanced  further  and  fiirtlier  out  on  the 
old  ocean,  and  I  knew  the  cause  of  their  downcast  l(>ok. 
Did  any  of  them  have  a  sweetheart  the}-  were  leaving  l»e- 
hind?  No,  it  was  nothing  left  behind,  it  was  sonietliing 
to  come  they  dreaded,— it  was  that  fearful  monster,  sea- 
sickness. Would  they  have  to  struggle  witii  it  again, — 
remembering  the  night  of  the  storm, — it  was  terril)le  I  I 
said,  "  Boys,  if  you  want  to  know  how  to  get  cured  of  your 
seasickness,  it  all  la^s  with  yourselves,  for  you  must  tight 
it.  Put  on  your  oil  clotlies,  make  yourselves  comfort^xble, 
and  stay  on  deck  until  you  are  cured.  It  will  pass  from 
you  in  a  few  days  and  then  you  will  be  all  right."  The 
most  of  the  very  sick  ones  did  as  I  suggested,  and  I  pitied 
them  out  in  the  cold  and  wet,  but  I  could  see  they  were 
fighting  and  knew  they  would  conquer,  but  Ricker  stayed 
in  his  l)erth  IkjIow  and  was  a  very  sick  man. 

I  went  lielow  to  get  some  sleep.  We  had  a  strong  fair 
wind  and  a  heavy  sea  following,  which  caused  our  old 
craft  to  do  some  very  heavy  rolling.  All  the  cabin  folks 
were  on  deck  and  I  thought  I  was  alone,  when  I  lieard 

(54) 


i! 

ill! 


THE   LON(i    VOYAGE   COMMENCED. 


66 


A 
P 


Hoiiie  one  stirring  in  the  next  berth.  Yes,  it  nnist  he  Mr. 
Stewart  who  slept  next  to  the  coinpanion  Aviiy,  and  iiad 
lain  in  his  hed  ever  since  we  had  got  it  rough,  so  quiet 
that  I  forgot  he  was  there.  Now,  Mr.  .Stewart  was  not 
seasick  in  the  upper  half  of  ins  hody,  but  his  legs  were 
very  sick,  he  could  not  trust  them  to  l>e  al)out  deck,  so 
of  eouixe  he  lay  below  as  long  as  he  could,  until  the  calls 
of  nature  demanded  liis  instant  presence  on  deck.  Mr. 
Stewart  felt  the  call  and  being  an  old  sf)ldier,  responded 
to  his  duty,  legs  or  no  legs.  As  I  peei)ed  out  of  my  l)erth 
I  saw  a  head  protruding  from  the  other  berth  ;  it  was  Mr. 
Stewart's ;  he  was  looking  around  as  though  to  take 
in  the  situation, — tliere  was  determination  in  tiiat  look  and 
I  knew  tliat  some  tiling  desperate  was  to  take  place.  He 
had  on  his  hat  and  overcoat  and  grasi)ed  the  side  of  the 
bertli  firmly  as  he  twisted  his  body  over  the  side  and  was 
out  sitting  upright,  and  watching  his  chance.  It  came.  He 
arose,  made  a  dasii  for  the  steps,  but  the  Diver  took  a 
heavy  lurch  from  him  and  precipitated  him  head  foremost 
across  the  floor,  through  the  door  of  the  navigator's  room, 
and  landed  him  in  the  berth.  He  had  failed  l)ut  was  not* 
beaten,  and,  determined  as  ever,  made  for  his  own  berth 
where  lie  struck  in  such  a  forcilde  manner  that  I  thought 
he  was  hurt,  but  not  so,  for  he  sat  still  for  a  minute  and 
seemed  to  change  his  tactics ;  when  the  Diver  rolled  uj) 
towards  him,  he  made  a  fresh  start  for  the  steps,  but 
whether  the  deck  came  up  and  met  him  or  he  went  down 
his  full  length  and  met  the  deck,  he  never  could  explain, 
but  there  again  he  sailed  across  the  cabin  floor,  grasping  a 
pair  of  rubber  boots  that  he  had  overtaken,  as  a  drowning 
man  catches  at  a  straw  ;  so  Mr.  Stewart  sailed  b»^ck  and 
forward  before  he  reached  those  steps — he  didn't  give  up, 
but  reached  the  steps  and  passed  upon  deck  and  he  told 
me  afterwards  that  he  thought  he  walked  about  five  miles 
in  getting  out  of  the  Diver's  cabin.     Afterwards,  in  speak- 


, 


M 


56 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIEI-DS. 


ing  of  this,  ]\Ir.  Hooijpv  said  tlmt  Stewart  was  a  inoiiiliine 
eater,  and  had  <(iveii  him  his  hox  to  keep ;  ho  had  asked 
for  some  siiiee,  hut  lie  tohl  him  the  hox  was  hist,  so  this 
was  tiie  cause  of  his  fallin<f  around.  He  was  <;oinjj  to  send 
him  forward  and  hrinjf  Kicker  aft,  as  IJieker  was  a  sick 
man.  He  made  the  chaniie  and  Ricker  was  jjiven  Mr. 
Stewart's  herth.  I  never  iielieved  Mr.  Stewart  was  a  mor- 
phine eater,  and  what  Mr.  lloojjer  Jiad  said  turned  out  to 
l)e  untrue. 

We  crossed  the  gulf  stream  without  experiencing  any 
heavy  gales,  and  were  soon  in  the  Doldrums,  jumpnig  up 
and  down  to  a  short  sea,  while  s(|ualls  of  wind  came  from 
every  point  on  the  conipass.  It  gave  us  work  reefing  and 
shaking  out  again.  It  was  good  exercise  for  the  hoys, 
teaching  them  how  to  handle  canvas,  and  we  were  very 
much  in  need  of  men  of  that  class.  When  we  got  in  the 
stormy  regions  we  found  we  were  short  of  sailoi'S ;  out  of 
eight  men  in  my  watch  there  were  hut  two  sailoi-s,  and  as 
we  were  having  had  weather,  I  had  to  lay  aside  my  long 
coat  and  lend  a  hand.  I  took  my  trick  at  the  wheel  and 
helped  tie  up  the  gaff  topsail  and  passed  the  earing  and 
went  out  to  furl  the  jih, — the  man  with  me  heing  the  only 
sailor  on  the  Diver.  I  will  say  for  our  navigator  that  he 
stood  upon  the  top  of  the  house,  out  of  the  water,  and 
helped  tie  reef  points, — outside  of  that  he  never  gave  a 
hand  to  help  in  anything,  not  even  at  the  wheel ;  this  was 
his  record  all  the  way  through.  When  we  came  to  reef, 
Mr.  Hoojier  would  take  the  wheel,  which  was  my  place, — 
but  he  had  heart  trouble,  so  he  said, — while  Dal  ton  and  I 
passed  the  earing.  I  began  to  see  the  meanness  of  these 
two  men,  who,  with  the  i)Osition  they  were  holding,  would 
rather  resort  to  cunning  than  do  their  duty,  especially  in  a 
case  like  this  ;  I  could  see  through  their  schemes,  but  some 
one  had  to  lead.  When  we  went  out  on  that  great,  long 
bowsprit  to  furl  the  jib,  we  were  ducked  under,  for  she 


THE    LONG    VOVAGK   COMMKNCKI). 


57 


would  first  raise  us  liigii  in  tiic  iiir,  cliuiriuj;  to  tlu-  slip- 
pery pole,  then  would  ilrive  head  t'oreniost  int)  the  uext 
wave,  with  tlie  white  t'oain  covt'iiui''  our  heads,  ^urt^liug 
into  our  eain  and  nostrils;  we  could  not  Ljet  a  ijruath ;  she 
seemed  to  hold  us  there  as  if  enjoyiiij^  the  sport,  then 
would  vise  ii^iin  and  shake  the  water  fioin  her  si(U>s  like  a 
Newfoundland  doj^  when  he  huids  after  his  hath. 

The  Diver  must  have  heen  modelled  in  ancient  times 
when  our  i.dliers  invented  an  apparatus  for  duckinj,'  their 
8Cohling»i  es.  I  could  realize  very  forcihly  the  feelings 
of  the  poor  wife  as  she  was  forced  under  the  coUl  water. 


IIKLING    TlIK   Jl.t 


and  n-ww  again  to  see  her  h)rd  and  master  standing  on  the 
bank,  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction  on  his  hard,  cruel  face. 
It  t-ould  not  have  been  that  she  was  conquered,  but  the 
reverae,  according  to  my  experience  in  being  ducked  by 
the  Diver,  but  it  was  the  law.  However,  woman  kept  on 
scolding  just  the  same,  until  the  e\ecutive  working  liie 
machine  got  tired  or  died,  or  perhajs  there  was  a  drought 
and  the  pond  dried  up,  anyhow,  manhood  asserted  itself 
and  woman  was  the  victor,  for  life  would  be  an  intolerable 
existence  if  she  didn't  scold  a  little. 

Well,  the  Diver  went  on,  as  sportive  as  ever,  until  we 


68 


TO  THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


got  l)ol()\v  the  latitude  of  the  thirtieH,  then  we  l)egan  to 
have  line  weatlior,  Imt  we  also  fniiiul  we  iiad  veiy  l)a(l 
water  to  driiilt.  Tiie  two  old  caslvs  were  used  uj),  and 
wiien  we  opened  one  of  tlie  new  we  found  it  in  an  awful 
condition,  eovered  with  i)ahn  oil ;  the  stench  made  us  hohl 
our  breaths  when  we  drank  it  ;  weeouldnot  think  Imt  hatl 
to  turn  it  down  in  one  j^nli),  for  we  eould  not  tike  the 
ftecoiid  one.  I  liad  iieen  with  liad  water  before  so  I  knew 
how  to  tiike  my  me<lieine,  hut  the  other  poor  fellows  re- 
sorted to  all  kinds  of  devi(!es  to  get  rid  of  the  taste ;  they 
used  the  vine<rar  and  sujjar  freely.  When  we  voted  for 
vinefjar  at  our  nieetiuff  in  Lynn,  no  one  wanted  any,  not 
even  Mr.  Hooper,  who  never  eould  bear  the  taste  of  it, 
but  now  he  was  usinj^  it  with  the  rest,  and  it  was  soon 
gone.  He  had  lime  juice  in  his  own  cabin,  that  was  enough 
for  him. 

Mr.  Hooper  had  a  dog  given  him  in  Lynn  and  three  kit- 
tens. I  objected  to  their  coming  on  board  but  he  wanted 
a  dog,  and  now  thdpoor  animal  was  dying  of  thirst,  drink- 
ing salt  water  in  preference  to  the  kind  of  fresh  water  we 
had.  The  kittens  got  sick  and  were  thrown  overboard  ; 
the  dog  was  left  with  a  similar  fate  awaiting  him.  I  saw 
at  times  a  wild  look  in  his  eyes,  as  the  hot  weather  in- 
creased. One  day  I  was  standing  by  the  house  with  one 
of  my  hands  resting  on  the  top  ;  Fred  was  behind  me  phv}- 
ing  rather  roughly  with  the  dog,  which  he  slapped  and 
pushed  away,  (lyp — that  was  the  dog's  name — gave  a 
leap  for  the  top  of  the  house,  passing  over  my  hand,  and 
with  a  sharp  bark  sped  along  to  the  forward  part  of  the 
schooner,  then  turned  and  ran  back,  and  I  saw  he  frothed 
at  the  mouth,  anol  at  intervals  gave  a  short  bark.  The  cry 
of  "mad  dog"isounded  through  the  schooner.  I  jumped 
on  top  of  the  house  and  looked  around  for  something  to 
defend  myself  with,  but  there  was  nothing  I  could  reach. 
I  felt  a  little  unnerved  at  that  moment,  standing  at  bay 


;» 


THE   LONG   VOVAOB  COMMKNCKD. 


r)9 


with  a  11111(1  (log  nifiiij^  towiird  iiu;.  I  could  hoh  fire  in  his 
eyes.  Had  iu;  Helected  iiu?  out  for  a  victiiu?  Must  I 
fij,dit  tliis  ferocioUH  heast  iMirc-Iiiuidcd  '/  \V(Uild  he  juiiip 
for  iiiv  thntut'/  I  ln-act-d  iiiyself  for  tlie  foiiiiiij,'  conHict. 
if  1  only  had  my  jackkiiifo  I  Soiiu;  oiif  was  on  tlat  top  of 
the  house  witii  me,  I  tiiiiik  it  was  tlat  iiavij^'ator,  liko  my- 
self—unarmed. iJiit  the  dot;  ran  past  the  corner  of  the 
house,  around  uu  the  otiier  side,  and  as  he  ran  i'orward  the 
navi<(ator  hastened  to  his  caliin  for  a  revolver  and  car- 
tridjres,  and  was  hack  on  tiie  house  hei'ore  tiie  doLf  turned 
aft.  I  saw  two  or  three  men  cliii<;iiit;  to  the  rij^f^infr, — a 
good  safe  place — while  the  rest  were  down  in  tiie  fore- 
castle with  the  dooj-s  l)arrica(le(l,  for  iiadn't  we  a  nintineer 
on  hoard  tiiat  defied  tiie  whole  siiip's  company  /  The  man 
at  tile  wheel  was  standing  on  tlie  wlicel  i)ox  and  not  a 
man  dared  to  trust  his  feet  on  tlie  decks  of  the  Diver. 
ISIr.  Hounds  followed  uji  the  enemy  for  an  advantage. 
AfttM'  getting  on  top  of  the  dories  his  chance  came,  for  as 
poor  (Jyp  paused  iK'fore  the  forecastle  door,  prohalily 
seehing  for  a  friend  amongst  all  that  crew,  Mr.  Hounds 
fired.  1  heard  CJyp  give  a  yelp,  then  he  came  hounding 
aft,  foaming  and  liarking,  raced  around  the  cal>iii  again, 
and  as  he  went  forward  Mr.  Hounds  gave  him  another 
shot ;  and  so  the  dog  kept  running  and  Hounds  kept  on 
shooting  until  he  emptied  his  gun;  some  of  the  shots  he- 
gan  to  tell  for  Gyp  staggered  along  aft,  ran  down  into  the 
•cahin  into  Mr.  Hooper's  room,  and  laid  down  to  die. 
Rounds  followed  him  down,  fired  a  l)ullet  through  his 
head,  and  he  was  dead.  The  hoys  l)egaii  to  tuiiihle  up  on 
deck,  the  cook  came  aft  armed  with  a  chain  hook,  and 
without  ceremony  hooked  (Jyp  under  the  jaw,  dragged  the 
body  on  deck,  and  threw  him  over  the  rail.  When  I  saw 
the  dog  floating  astern,  food  for  the  sharks,  I  could  not 
help  saying,  "  Poor  (iyp,"  and  turned  sadly  away  from  the 
inanimate  form,  even  if  it  was  only  a  dog, — and  the  Diver 
sailed  on. 


i 


00 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOl  n   FIELDS. 


Our  men  were  all  well  except  Ricker,  who  was  too  weak 
to  conio  oil  (leek,  "  1  can't  stanil  the  sijriit  of  water,"  he 
wouhl  say,  and  that  was  all  the  satisfaction  we  couM  get 
from  him.  VVc  had  <rot  the  trade  winds  and  weiv  now 
sailin<r  amons;  the  Hying  rish, — it  is  a  Iteautiful  sijriit  to 
see  acres  of  then*  rise  »ip  out  of  the  water,  their  silvery 
wings  glistening  in  the  sun,  and  fly  frftni  crest  to  crest  of 
wave  and  then  disui)peur.  but  not  for  long:  they  soon  ap- 
pear again,  for  their  oid  enemy,  the  dolphin,  is  amongst 
tliem  ;  he  seizes  his  prcN  '"ist  as  they  touch  a  wave,  and  so 
he  feeds  day  after  day,  while  the  flying-Hsh  swim  and  fly 


CATl  HlMi    IIOLPHIN. 


(Ill  to  who  krows  where,  pui'sued  every  day  by  tlieir  arch- 
enemy, the  dolphin. 

Mr.  Hooper  l)ronght  up  the  canvas  f«)r  the  sleeping  Itags, 
Init  found  he  did  not  have  enough  s  >  he  had  to  cut  thom 
short,  and  we  sat  on  deck  .sewing  sleeping  i»ags  while  some 
of  the  men  wei-e  out  or;,  the  l)owsprit  trying  to  catch  dol- 
phin,— the  bait  they  used  wa.s  a  piece  of  white  rag  with  a 
little  red, — and  as  tiiis,  towed  in  the  water,  would  skip  from 
wave  to  wave  in  the  santn  fashion  as  the  flying-lish,  a  hun- 
gry dolphin  would  sometimes  make  a  mistake  and  get 
hauled  'v\  to  the  joy  of  the  man  but  the  sad  fate  of  the 


THE  KONG  VOYAGE  COMMENCED. 


«?1 


tlolliliiii.  Tlu'V  Iiiul  heeii  unsuccessful  in  their  efforts, 
Avlu'ii,  one  nfteriuton,  wlieii  the  sun  wius  aUnit  scttinjr,  a 
hirgo  school  of  dolpluii  crossed  under  our  l>o\v.  The  uav- 
igiitor  was  out  on  the  bowsprit  trying  his  luck ;  suddenly 
I  saw  the  men  ruiuiing  up  in  the  Ik)w,  and  I  felt  sure  hy 
the  struggling  of  Rounds  on  the  lK)W8prit,  and  the  call  for 
assistance,  that  he  had  hooked  a  dolphin,  and  sure  enough, 
a  good  fat  one  was  lauded  on  deck,  kicking  and  flouncing 
until  the  cook  came  with  his  l)ig  knife  an<l  ended  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  first  catch.  Kounds  kept  on  cateliing  until 
we  had  five,  then  the  (h»lphins  either  liecanie  wise  and  swam 
away  from  the  Diver,  or  the  Diver  sailed  away  from  them, 
I  can't  say  which,  hut  we  got  no  more,  and  I  don't  remem- 
ber of  seeing  any  more  that  voyage.  The  fish  weiv  cleaned 
and  put  in  the  pan,  and  we  had  some  excellent  meals  on 
tish  and  plenty  of  it. 

One  afternoon,  after  a  hearty  <liiuier  on  dolphin.  I  \va.H 
silting  aft  sewing  away  on  our  canvas,  when  I  was  taken 
suddenly  idind, — all  was  darkness  around  me.  I  arose  to 
my  feet  and  held  on  to  the  rail.  I  felt  a  faintne.ss  coming 
over  me,  when  I  was  just  as  suddenly  <les|Niiled  of  my  din- 
ner, and  my  eyes  opened, — I  could  see  ag-ain.  Kvcry  man 
who  had  eaten  of  the  <lolphins  was  sick.  Was  the  lish 
poison^  Had  it  l)een  feeding  on  the  cop|ier  JMtttom  of  the 
Diver,  or  perha])s  on  poor  <«yp  ■  The  symptoms  were  very 
perceptible,  and  if  we  ate  any  njore  of  this  fatal  Hsh  we 
might  all  run  mad  and  chase  each  other  about  the  <Ieck 
with  froth  in  our  mouths  and  bhiod  in  «>ur  eyes,  so  t>ver- 
board  went  what  remained  of  the  dolphin  and  the  'uen 
soon  got  over  their  illness. 

Our  water  grew  worse,  and  as  we  had  lised  up  all  tfie 
vinegar  and  come  down  to  plain  water  and  palm  oil,  our 
s]>irits  <lroo)>ed,  and  we  liegan  to  h>ng  fcr  rain,  but  no 
rain  came.  The  navigator  assured  us  that  umler  the 
equator  we  woidd  get  plenty   of  ndn   in  a  few  tlays.  and 


(52 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


gave  the  order  to  keep  a  sharp  U)okout  for  St.  Paul's  rocks. 
Cnrliff  wanted  to  know  what  tliese  rocks  were  doiiifraway 
out  there,  how  could  it  he  possihle  that  rocks  were  so  far 
froui  land  ?  The  navijjator  showed  hhn  tiie  rocks  on  the 
chart  and  warned  him  to  l)e  careful  on  his  lookout.  Car- 
liti'  wanted  to  know  what  they  looked  like.  •■«  Yctu  can't 
.see  nuich  of  them,"  said  tlie  navijrator,  "  they  arc  just  a 
wash  with  the  sea."  Tiicii  lie  wanted  to  know  what  the 
reason  was  they  had  no  li<;ht.  '•  There  is  none,  for  none 
can  he  erected,"  said  the  navij^ator. 

As  nigiit  came  on  and  a  few  of  the  l>n<rhtest  stars  jrlit- 
t«Me<l  tluouirh  the  soft  southern  twilii,dit,   we  saw   the  Ma- 
gellan clouds  rising  aiiove   tiic  southern    horizon.     'I'hcse 
clouds    rescmhled  the  "•milky  way":  there  were  two  of 
them,  and  when  in  the  Stmits  of  Magellan  they  are  directly 
overhead.     The  mythical  tradition  of  these  clouds   is  tiiat 
they  were  placed  there  ity  the  great  Deity  to  eomnuMnonvte 
the    wonderful    exploits    of  this    great    navigator.      That 
night  the  most  beautiful  sight  I  ever  saw  was  the  half  hour 
we  .sailed  through  phosphorous  so  thick  that  it  li>okc(l  as 
though  the  sea  was  one  sheet  of  licjuid  Hre,  l)ut   I   often 
would  take  a  look  up  north  at   the   familiar  stars  of  o\u' 
own  temperate  /one  that  were  looking  down  on  our  native 
land.      I  had  a  fcelinj>  akin  to  honjcsickncss  when   I  saw 
the  North  Star  setting  low  on  the  horizon,  soon   to  disap- 
pear from  sight  altogether,  and  the  (ireat  Dipper  following 
close  afttM'  its  leader.     The  night  wore  on  and  eight  hells 
struck  ;  the  relief  watch  came  on  deck,   and  (^irliff  went 
on  his  lookout  that  night  with  a  special  duty  on  his  mind. 
Reaching  his  hody  over  the  knightheads  as  far  as  he  could, 
he  |H*ercd  steadfastly  down  into  the  depths   of  old  ocean 
for  St.  Paul's  rocks,  and  remained  in   that  position  until 
Mr.  Hooper  came  forward  and  asked  what  he  was  doing. 
"  I  am  looking  for  St.  Paul's  rocks,"  he   replied.      When 
the  hoys  iicard  the  joke  they  had  a  good  laugh  at  Carliff, 


THE  LONG  VOYAGE  COMMENCED. 


63 


who  claimed  it  was  a  case  of  luisplaced  confidence  in  Mr. 
Rounds. 

The  day  we  crossed  the  line,  twenty- nine  days  from 
Bryer's  Island,  the  navigator  apiHjared  again  amongst  the 
boys  with  a  telescoi>e,  with  a  hair  laid  across  the  lens,  and 
as  they  looked  thi-ough  tliey  could  see  the  line  as  they 
crossed  it,  but,  like  Carliff,  they  had  lost  confidence  in  Mr. 
Rounds,  and  did  not  ttike  to  this  kind  of  a  joke.  There 
was  no  rain  under  the  line,  as  Rounds  had  prophesieil,  and 
the  boys  l)egan  to  show  signs  of  their  discontent  by  blam- 
ing Mr.  Hooper  and  his  water  casks. 

The  Southern  Cross  was  one  of  the  brilliant  sights  that 
now  began  to  show  itself  among  tlie  numerous  host  of 
glittering  stars  that  stud<'.ed  the  canopy  of  this  southern 
night,  and  we  counted,  time  and  again,  the  number  of  stars 
that  formed  the  cross,  but  I  never  felt  sure  of  the  convct 
ntmiber,  and  could  not  tell  to-day  how  many  I  counted.  I 
wonder  that  we  could  count  at  all,  when  a  longing  for 
water  and  something  we  could  eat  was  ever  foremost  in 
our  thoughts  ;  yet  the  Diver  saile<l  on,  carrving  us  to 
what  end,  wh«)  knows  i  The  navigator's  ami  Mr.  Hoojjer's 
little  side  flavoi-s  g-ave  out,  and  they  were  petting  sick, 
when  at  last  Uounds  asked  me  if  I  hadn't  Itctter  nui  into 
some  port  and  water  up.  I  objecte*!  at  fii-st,  not  Itecause  I 
did  not  want  water  myself,  but  they  were  the  cause  of 
our  having  poor  water,  and  I  was  not  a  bit  sony  to  see 
them  getting  sick.  Finally  I  agreed  to  run  into  Bahia  for 
water,  so  we  shaped  our  coui-se  for  that  place,  leaving  a 
fair  wind  tiiat  giive  us  a  day's  run  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety  miles  :  this  change  helj)ed  lengthen  our  piussage. 
We  sailed  along  in  Iteautiful  weather,  and  sckhi  made  the 
island  of  Fernando  Noroniah. — this  was  on  Cliristmas  day. 
Though  not  like  our  Christmas  at  home,  we  felt  overjoyed 
at  the  prospect  of  soon  iiaving  plenty  of  good,  pure  water 
to  drink. 


I 


it 


04 


TO   THE    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLDS. 


Tlie  isliuul  of  Fernando  Noroniali  was  a  irieat  rock,  yvo- 
triuling  I'j)  out  of  the  sea,  and  reniindin<r  one  of  a  jriant 
cathedral,  with  a  long  spire  pointing  upwards  a  distiince 
of  Hve  hundred  feet.  This,  indeed,  was  a  wonderful  rock  ; 
there  seemed  to  he  hut  tiie  one  landing,  a  little  inlet, 
where  I  could  discern  a  few  white  cottiigcs.  'I'his  island 
i)elongs  to  the  Brazilian  government,  and  a  penal  colony 
resides  there.  As  we  sailed  l>v,  Carlift'  tried  to  make  a 
sketch  of  the  great  rock,  to  show  that  he  iiad  seen  tiiis 
one,  if  he  had  missed  a  sight  at  St.  Paul's,  wliich  he  l)egan 


1^ 

^                                    ' '"'^  .^W^BS-^., 

THE  ISLANU  OK    KEKNANUO   NOKOMAII,   DKA/IL, 


to  helieve  was  only  fiction.  We  sailed  past  this  ishuid, 
and  soon  I)egan  to  drop  it  out  of  sight,  and  weie  now  nt-ar- 
iiig  IJaliia.  On  tlie  twenty-nintli  of  tlie  montii  we  entered 
t.'ie  harbor  of  All  Saints  Bay,  and  anchored  under  the 
fort,  which  lired  a  gun  at  sundown  tliat  nearly  shook  off 
our  hats.  Tiie  (juarantine  Hag  was  placed  on  our  fore- 
cross-trees,  and  when  the  doctor  got  ready  he  canie  on 
hoard.  Mr.  Hooper  said  that  he  couhl  talk  Spanish,  so  he 
was  delegated  to  talk  with  the  doctor,  wlio  could  not  speak 
or  undei-stftud  our  language.  The  doctor  would  not  come 
on  hoard,  because  the  Diver  had  no  gangway  steps,  but 


THK    LONG    VOYAGK   COMMKNCKD. 


65 


stood  in  his  Iniat  with  his  trusty  l)hicks  aiomid  him,  arnuMl 
with  ciithisses.  He  was  shown  the  vessel's  jtapers  ;  "tiie 
master's  name  was  Siieems  I).  Winehist."  "No,  Winclies- 
ter."  He  tried  it  again,  "  Winchistear."  The  vessel  eame 
from  Lynn,  Mass.  He  could  say  Lynn,  hut  the  old  Bay 
State  was  too  nnich  for  him,  and  he  gave  it  up,  hut  where 
was  it  i  "In  America,"  answered  Mv.  Hooper.  "l)is 
America,"  said  tiie  doctor,  as  he  looked  around  him  with 
pride  on  his  native  home.  "  Lnited  States,"  we  told  him, 
but  his  geography  was  very  had,  and  he  did  not  under- 
stand, for  he  beckoned  the  men  up  to  the  rail,  and  as  lie 
looked  them  over  smiled  and  said,  "  I  am  sateesfied." 

He  pushed  off  from  the  vessel,  and  we  were  at  lil)erty 
to  go  on  shore.  The  boat  was  put  over,  and  the  boys  tiled 
in  until  she  could  carry  no  more,  then  they  rowed  ashore. 
It  was  .surprising  to  see  how  (piickly  Uicker  came  up  on 
his  feet,  looking  as  well  as  any  of  us,  and  was  the  first  man 
to  go  f»n  shore.  Mr.  H()oi)er  attended  to  the  laisiness,  as 
he  held  the  nutney.  Arrangeuients  for  taking  in  water 
were  made,  and  the  next  day  we  cleaned  out  the  water 
casks,  getting  them  into  a  little  better  condition  than  l)e- 
fore,  and  HUed  them  to  running  over. 

After  this  work  was  done  I  went  on  shore  tt>  see  the 
town  ;  there  were  soldiei-s  at  the  fort,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  military  demonstration  on  the  shore.  We  landed  at  the 
Custom  House  steps,  not  being  allowed  to  land  anywhere 
else,  and  passed  ui)  through  the  Custom  Ib.use  yard,  in 
front  of  the  Custom  House,  which  was  built  on  the  end  of 
a  wharf,  and  well  guarded  by  soldiers.  The  streets  were 
guarded  with  sohliei-s,  ahso.  We  went  to  the  ship  bntkers, 
Avhere  they  could  understnnd  us,  and  they  told  us  that 
Brazil  was  having  a  war,  and  there  had  been  a  battle  fought 
a  few  days  |)revious,  just  init^ide  of  the  city,  but  the  rel)els 
lost  the  day,  and  Mahia  was  saved.  Now  I  undei-stood 
why  so  niiiny  wounded  soldiei's  were  on  the  street,  leaning 


66 

TO 

>  THE  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 

on  the  arir 

I  of 

a  friend  or  brother. 

The  l)oy8 

made  a  few     - 

purchases. 

some  buying  the  Bahia  hat,  a  large 

hat,  conical 

8hai)e,  plai 

ted 

out  of  gmss  ;  the} 

were  worn 

mostly  by 

laborei-8,  and  made  an  excellent  sun  hat.  I  sat  around  the 
ship  chandler's,  where  they  were  dealing  out  the  native 
wine  and  imported  Scotch  whiskey,  until  I  got  tired,  then 
went  up  to  see  the  town. 

Bahia  is  built  on  the  side  of  a  great  ridge,  and  there  is 
a  lower  and  upper  town.  The  lower  town  is  built  after 
the  quaint  idea  of  old  Spanish  architecture,  ^vithout  doors, 
but  tlie  whole  end  out,  so  that  you  can  walk  right  in  and 
do  business.  Most  of  the  help  was  colored,  and  so  were 
all  the  laborei-s  that  I  saw.  The  water  man,  with  his  don- 
ke}',  with  two  water  kegs  slung  each  side  across  his  back, 
supplied  the  stores  with  good  cool  water,  the  donkey  being 
the  only  animal  I  saw  used  for  working  around  the  street.. 
Poor  little  donkey  I  How  he  is  al)U8ed.  I  saw  some  of 
them  l>eaten  without  mercy.  What  a  life  for  this  poor 
animal !  His  only  pleasure  was  his  evening  meal  and  rest- 
at  night. 

Wi;  saw  all  we  wanted  of  the  lower  town,  then  went  to 
the  upjjer.  There  was  a  long  road  running  diagonally  up 
the  side  of  the  hill,  built  of  stone,  l)Ut  there  wsus  an  ejusier 
way  of  ascension,  for  here  Wiis  a  great  elevator  to  take 
one  up  for  a  few  millreas.  There  was  plenty  of  travel  on 
this  elevator,  and  one  could  look  out  on  the  harbor  as  he- 
swcended  and  get  a  splendid  view. 

The  upper  town  Avas  more  modern  and  iiad  some  fine 
buihlings.  We  went  along  to  tiie  American  hotel,  and  sat 
for  a  while  l)eneath  the  shady  alcoves  of  its  luxuriant  gar- 
den and  rested.  There  was  nothing  more  to  \ye  seen  in 
Bahia  without  money,  so,  after  taking  a  long  look  at  the 
harbor,  all  dotted  with  ships  of  every  description,  we 
walked  back  to  the  lower  town,  got  our  dinner,  and  went 
on  l)oard  tiie  schooner. 


THK   LONG    VOYAGK   COMMKXCKD. 


♦57 


How  1)01111  ti fill  tlio  cliiiiiile  was  here  .it  tliis  time  o I'  year. 
Kveiybixly  Heeiiied  to  enjoy  tlie  best  of  liealtli,  altlioii<.'li 
the  yelli)W  jack  was  prevalent  on  hoard  the  ships,  and  tiie 
doctor's  boat  was  kejtt  laisy  riiniiiii^r  from  om;  to  another. 
Quite  a  numlH'r  of  small  craft,  with  three  or  four  masts, 
(III  which  was  hoisted  an  oblonjr-shaped  sail,  seemed  to  be 
very  busy  carrying  fruit.  The  <lii«r-out  canoes  were  (piite 
numerous,  i)ein<r  used  for  lisliiu^  about  the  bay,  and  I  no- 
ticed tlu'y  set  a  trawl. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  the  stores  to  come  on  board. 


I 


. 


TKAI1ING   Ll'CiliEKS  OK   IIAHIA,   IIKAZIL. 


some  of  the  boys  tlioujrht  they  would  try  a  swim:  Dalton 
startt'd  in,  followed  l»y  those  who  could  swim,  and  thev 
seemed  to  be  »'njoyin;r  their  bath,  when  Kyan  appeared  on 
the  rail.  Nt)w,  Hyan  thought  he  would  do  soniethinj,'  that 
none  of  tlie  others  could  do,  that  Wiis  to  turn  a  somer- 
sault; but  he  inisjud^'e<l  the  distance,  and  struck  flat  on 
the  water,  with  his  face  downward,  and  lay  motionless  for 
a  minute,  then  made  a  slu{,',<rish  struifjrle  to  [tlace  himself 
ri^'lit,  but  he  had  his  mouth  o|)en,  and  consequently  drew 
in  a  lot  of  salt  water.     I  was  afraid  at  fii-st.  but  when  he 


68 


TO   THK    ALASKAN   OOLD   FIKMJS. 


Htnu'k  out  for  tlie  side  of  tlic  vessel  my  fetus  vanished, 
my  hopes  were  realized,  luid  Hyaii  was  safe.  Tiu;  hoys 
came  on  hoard  and  coiit'Tatulated  him  on  his  escape  from 
u  watery  grave,  and  advised  him  to  keep  his  month  eiifsed 
whenever  he  dove  under  water,  l»ut  it  really  was  a  narrow 
escape  from  a  sad  accident  that  would  have  ended  Ins 
days. 

The  next  day  was  the  first  of  January,  and  as  our  stores 
had  come  on  hoard,  and  everyhody  seemed  to  have  all 
they  wanted  of  IJahia,  we  <fot  under  way,  hove  up  anchor, 
set  the  foresail  ami  jih  to  swinj;  her   head   out,  and  then 


MD'STINr.    IHR    MA[NSA1I., 


hoisted  the  mainsail,  wh'vh  seemed  to  go  u[)  heavy  and 
slow.  The  i)oys  seemed  to  have  forgotteu  how  to  set  this 
sail,  for  one  would  pull  while  another  was  fleeting  his  hold. 
I  hearil  some  one  suggest  resting  liefore  the  sail  was  half 
way  up,  hut  they  kept  on  cross-hauling  until  the  sail  was 
set,  then  wondered  what  made  it  hoist  uji  so  hard.  'I'heii 
liahia  hats  were  now  doiuied,  making  them  resemble  a 
native  crew  of  Brazilians.  We  sailed  out  of  the  Hay  of 
All  Saints,  and  were  soon  on  the  big  blue  ocean,  heading 
for  the  Faulkland  Islands.  When  we  got  down  ofY  the 
river  I'latte   we   hud   u   few  aciualls,    which  are  always 


THE   LONii    VOYAGK    COMMKNCKl). 


69 


expected  when  aldenst  of  tliat  river,  ami  soon  alter 
began  to  feel  the  chilly  \vin<ls  t'roiii  the  south,  and  cliilly 
they  wei-e,  too.  The  hoys  laid  off  their  Haliia  Imta,  exeei)t 
the  man  at  the  wheel,  who  felt  the  comfort  of  its  shade 
when  the  sun  shone  hriglit. 

Tiie  Diver  sailed  on,  nodding  to  the  sea,  and  we  lav 
aroiuid  the  deck  nodding  with  the  schooner,  wliich  now 
and  then  would  send  a  sjmiy  of  salt  water  to  wake  us  up, 

would  take 
ters    and 


but  we 
new  quar- 
soon  nod 
Thus  the 
away.  It 
8Uiiset,an(l 
still  nod- 
thenaviga- 
to  leeward 
"  La  n  d , 
awakened 
sense  of 
a  n  d  w  o 
our  feet  at 
i  n  g  out 
I  o  t  o  f 
ch)sing  tilt! 
the  sun, 
aire  a  d  y 


THE    MAN    AT  TIIK    WHHRI.. 


a  g  a  I  n  . 
days  wore 
was  just 
w  e  w  e  r  e 
ding,  when 
tor  spniiig 
and  called. 
llo!"This 
us  to  a 
d  a  n  g  e  r  . 
were  all  on 
once,  peer- 
amongst  a 
clouds  now 
pathway  of 
whi(;h  had 
drop  pe  d 


below  the  horizon, — and  it  was  there  that  the  navigator 
pointed  out  what  he  called  land.  At  lii-st  siglit  I  said  it 
was  clouds,  but  tiiey  all  looked  through  the  glass  and 
tiiought  it  was  land.  I  took  the  glass  and  looked  again, 
and  saw  a  cloud  resembling  land  lying  low  on  the  horizon, 
b\it  following  it  along  could  see  i)etween  the  horizon  and 
the  edge  of  the  cloud.  The  mivigator,  however,  would  not 
give  in,  but  said  the  chronometer  had  thrown  us  three    or 


70 


TO  TIIK   ALASKAN    tiOLD   FIELDS. 


four  hundred  miles  out  of  ..iir  oouiw.  Tluit  uns  pnH.F  t(» 
mo  that  I  was  riylit.  for  the  chionoiin'tor  lia<l  no  crn.rs 
i\o\\u  t(.  Ihihia,  and  1  could  not  htdiev.'  it  was  wroM<^-  now, 
Imt  he-  said  iw  was  alnud  it  was  wl■on,i,^  an.l  h.-  would 
tigure  on  his  old  course  just  the  same,  hut  w(.uld  keep  a 
course  from  this  laud  Miira,<ve.  and  with  the  two  he  couUl 
not  ^fo  wron<r. 


"=nn 


CIIAI'TKIJ    IV. 

Tllltoriill      I'lIK    STIt.MTS    III'     MACKM.AN. — A     IH'.SKIjrKD 

SIIKKI'-KANCH.  —  DICK    SMn(»TIN(i    IN     A     Sll: ANIiK 

I, AND. —  \\K    SKK   (INArlKKS    AND    KXI'I.OIJK 

A      l'ArA<;nMAN      .irM;l,K. —  (Hit 

KlUST    NKWS    I'lJoM    lld.MK. 


I  will  MOW  iiu'iilioii  suiiic  lit  my  own  tioulilcs,  so  the 
reiuler  iiiiiy  I'liUv  iinderstaiKl  uImhU  liow  I  luiiml  iiiyscll' 
sitiiiiUMJ  (III  hoard  tlu;  Diver.  It  wa.s  iiovi'l  to  me  and 
.somi'tiiiics  comical,  for  I  was  si<;iu'd  iiiasterot  the  schooner  ; 
soiiictimes  I  was  mate  and  all  hands,  and  there  were 
times  I  liad  no  jttace  at  all.  The  men  did  not  understand 
tlieditt'erenee  hetween  u  ma-teraiid  a  iMiatswain'smate.  Mr. 
Hooper  and  Rounds  were  maUino'  the  iniseliiet'.  Hel'ore  we 
left  Lynn,  I  spoke  to  .Mr.  Hooper  ahoiit  a  naviiration  kit, 
tellinj^  liim  I  had  none  of  my  own.  •>  ( )h,"  said  lie,  "  (hm't 
hotiier  any  more  ahout  that,  for  I  will  hny  one  fortiie  ves- 
sel and  for  you  to  use."  I  felt  .safe  and  llioii<rlit  no  more 
ahoiil  it,  for  I  kneW'the  vessel  could  not  yet  aloiiL;  without 
one,  hut  I  found,  afUir  we  iiad  odt  to  sea,  thai  lioiiiids  had 
the  only  oiitlit,  charts  and  all.  and  he  was  so  close  with 
them  that  I  eouhl  not  even  look  at  a  chart.  As  he  owned 
it  all,  what  could  I  .say  '.  NVhy,  say  that  Captain  \Vinche.s- 
ter  was  takint;  a  voyai^e  around  the  Horn,  from  I»ryer*s 
Island  to  San  Kranei.seo,  Cal.,  witiioiit  navigation  hook, 
.sextant  or  chart.  He  did  have  a  compass  and  eould  look 
at  that  as  often  as  he  liked, — (|uite  a  privilejre,  I  am  sure. 
What  a  parajfraph  for  the  San  Francisco  newspajiers  ! 

1  kei)t  dead  reekonin<r  on  a  piece  of  paper  that    Hounds 

(71) 


I 


' 


72 


TO   THE    ALASKAN    ()(H,I»    KIKLD8. 


Itiinu'd  ii|)  on  llit*  Hide  of  llu;  nihiii  \vlit>iu>v(!v  lio  felt  in 
hiiiiior  to  do  so,  lint  it  was  iiard  for  nif  to  find  out  wlicru 
till'  vt'sst'l  WHS  ;  ovciytliini.'  was  \ni[)\  sinit  nji  in  liis  room, 
out  of  si<;lit,  and  lie  i)i!j;au  t»»  sliow  tlie  aulliority  of  mas- 
ter of  tlio  vessi-i,  for  ho  liiunv  lie  iiad  nit!  witli  my  liands 
ticil.  lie  had,  in  an  indirect  wuy,  captunid  tlu;  Diver  ami 
nil  liands,  with  tht'  material  that  Mr.  Hooper  had  placed 
in  his  hands,  Imt  now  Mr.  Hooper  Itejfiiii  to  show  sijfiis  of 
jealousy  ;  aUliouf,di  they  had  heeii  such  fast  friends  when 
they  loft  home  the  friendship  had  (tooled  down,  and  as  I 
was  the  one  ho  had  watched  previously,  like  a  lion  jealous 
of  his  domain,  he  now  lH'<ran  to  look  on  me  with  more 
fav«)r.  What  Mr.  Hooper  had  planned  with  Kouiids 
eould'not  lie  undone,  for  he  held  the  position  and  Mr. 
Hooper  knew  it.  It  was  only  throu<,di  me  he  could  niaeh 
Hounds,  and  as  I  would  not  uphold  Mr.  Hooper  in  his 
ehaniriiiK  nioods,  he  tried  to  worry  me  aj,niin. 

INIr.  lloo|>er  was  losiiij^  j^'round  with  the  men,  so  he  felt, 
but  could  not  determine  which  they  took  to  most,  KouikIh 
or  himself,  while  I  remained  a  mystery  to  him.  He  had 
liis  favorites  anions;  the  men,  whom  he  would  in\u'  with 
him  to  Alaska,  and  leave  the  hoodlums  out.  That  was  the 
way  he  was  carryiii;;  sail,  while  every  day  he  j^rew  more 
suspicions  of  l{ounds,  as  he  listened  to  the  murmurinj^s  of 
the  crew  a^jainst  liinis(df  for  what  he  had  i,'iven  them  to  eat 
and  to  drink  durin«f  that  voyap;.  Hounds  sympathized 
with  the  crew  and  their  wroii<,'s.  and  added  more  fuel  to 
the  tlame  when  he  admiittid  that  Mr.  Hooper  was  not  a 
fit  president  for  the  company.  I  a<i;reed  with  him  there, — 
he  was  not  a  lit  president,  for  was  not  the  eompany  split 
already, — and  I  knew  that  in  San  Francisco  it  wouM  end 
Mr.  Hooper  and  all  his  designs.  Mr.  Hooper  had  not  kept 
faith  with  the  men, — in  the  very  first,  after  failing  to  have 
our  last  meeting  in  Lynn,  he  agreed  to  give  us  a  strict  ac- 
eouut  of  expenditures  as  soon  as  he  got  his  papei-s  and 


1 


THUOUOH    THK   .STUAITS    OK    MACJKLI.AN. 


73 


ilct'ouiitH  tiled;  this  lie  would  ilu  wlu'ii  we  yfnt  t(i  sou,  liilt  lio 
failctl  to  kff|)  liis  inoiiiisc  and  knew  the  men  did  not  liku 
it.  Ilo  Hiiid  to  nif  one  diiv  it  was  none  of  their  hastiness 
what  he  did;  ho  was  the  only  one  thitt  had  the  power  and 
they  would  find  out  when  we  f,'()t  to  San  Franciseo.  lie 
said  many  things  like  tliis  to  draw  nie  nut,  hut  I  knew  my 
man  and  kept  silent. 

The  Diver  sailed  on  and  one  tint!  day  we  made  the 
Faidkland  Islands  whi>-h  we  sailed  hy  ahoiit  t'oiir  miles 
from  shore.  It  was  a  roek  like  Fernando  Noromah,  all  hut 
the  lonj;  shaft  pointinj,'  to  the  sky  ;  there  were  j^ood  ehances 
for  lishin^r  hoats  to  sail  through  its  numerous  inlets  and 
passa^'es.  This  island  is  controlled  hy  the  Kn^disli  govern- 
ment, and  on  the  si<le  away  from  us  there  was  a  harhor 
and  quite  a  town,  where  ships  ^roiniriU'oiiud  the  Horn  stoi> 
for  water.  The  Faulklands  soon  fatled  in  mist  and  wo 
to(»k  our  departurt!  lor  the  Straits  of  .Ma<^ellan.  with  a  host 
of  alhatross  and  cape  pii^eon  in  our  wake.  The  alhatross 
can  he  euuj^ht  with  a  eonunon  lish  hook  and  line,  halted 
with  a  i>ieee  of  salt  junk, — some  of  our  hoys  tried  the  ex- 
periment hut  failed,  for  althoUfi[h  the  hirds  ate  the  hait, 
they  were  very  careful  not  to  take  the  hook  with  it,  so  we 
thou,i,dit  they  must  have  seen  a  hook  and  line  before.  Their 
presence  seemed  to  he  an  ill  omen,  tor  we  had  had  a  head 
wind  ever  since  we  fell  in  with  them.  1  don't  remember 
the  date  we  made  the  Faidklands  or  the  Straits  of  Magel- 
lan, for  I  am  writinir  from  memoiy  and  liave  no  notes  to 
etu'rect  me,  l)Ut  it  was  a  week  iiefore  \\v  arrived  at  the 
straits  and  anchoretl  on  the  south  point,  as  there  was  a 
strong  current  running  out  and  a  head  wind. 

I  don't  know  the  distance  across  the  mouth  of  the  straits 
hut  we  could  jjlaiidy  see  the  land  which  was  very  low  and 
looked  like  a  stretch  of  level  mai'sh,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  It  .seeme<l  to  he  eovered  with  a  coarse  sedge  grass. 
\Ve  got   under  way   when   tin;  llood   tide   made,   with   no 


1 


n 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    KIKLDS. 


wind,  and  drifted  until  liit^li  tide.  wIkmi  wo  found  ourstdves 
ill  Starvation  Hav.  Ileif  we  lot  jro  anchor  (uitil  tlu'  next 
Hood  tide.  Tiiis  Ixiy  is  on  the  l*ata<,'onian  side  and  took 
its  name  from  the  lir-'i  eolony  of  S|ianish  ei"!iiu<^  to  the 
straits.  Tliev  loeated  in  this  desolate  spot  with  their  fauj- 
ilies  and  stock,  out  of  fear  t)f  the  Indians.  Thii'e  yeai-s  af- 
terwards a  ship  called  theiv  and  found  that  the  colony  was 
no  more  ;  there  was  a  sli<,d)t  suspicion  that  the  Indians  had 
nnirdered  tlieni  all.  carrvin<j  away  their  cattle  and  provis- 
ions, l»ut  on  a  closer  iuvestig-ation  it  was  U-lieved  that  the 
I.idians  had  stolen  all  tlieir stock  and  that  they  l:.id  starved 
to  death.  So  this  anchoi-.iire  was  named  Sbnvalion  i5ay. 
Wiiat  a  sad  endin<f  for  this  colony  :  they  had  partcil  from 
friends  and  home  to  .seek  a  f<utune  in  this  new  wtu"ld.  sci 
lately  discovered,  and  j  erishe«I  thei-e  by  starvation. — hut 
such  is  the  restlessness  of  spirit  that  similar  fat«'S  f^efall  the 
many  every  year. 

IJut  now  the  Diver  is  nmler  way  ajjain  ;  the  ti<le  was  in 
our  favor,  tlioui,di  the  wind  was  not,  hut  we  made  sonic 
<rood  work  until  the  ti<le  turned  aj^ain.  when  we  found  an 
anchorage  and  let  drop  our  hook  to  wait  for  tiie  next  turn. 
Hoiimls  now  wanteil  to  pilot  the  vessel  throuijh,  and  I 
tlioiiffht  it  hest  to  concetle  to  his  wishes,  for  there  was 
considerahle  dany:er  tliiou«,'h  this  four  liiindi-cd  miles 
stretch  of  channel,  and  we  jrnve  the  Imivs  warnintf  on  their 
anchor  watch  nit^ht.s,  for  we  were  in  tn'achcrous  waters. 
The  land  for  .seventy-live  miles  was  iiothiiij,'  hut  low  mai'sh 
with  no  simis  of  trees,  hill  or  hai.iiiioek.  hut  further  alou>; 


we  liegau  to  see  some  nionn 


tains  with  tives 


in  a 


hund; 


nice 


and  n  few  habitations  alonj;  tlie  shore.  We  coiihl  see  also 
large  flocks  of  sheep  feeiliiiir  on  the  plain  and  hillside,  and 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  these  were  sheep  ranches. 

Ill  the  afternoon  the  wintl  hseezed  up,  and  the  sky 
looked  very  much  like  a  storm  from  what  we  couhl  see  of 
it,  as  we  were  shut  in  on  !(oth  siiles  hv  the  hills  and  moun- 


THROUGH    THK   STUAIT3    *)F    MAOKLLAX. 


lO 


tains  of  'IVrm  del  Kue<r<>  on  our  port  liaiid  aiul  l*iita<roiiiii 
on  our  starlxmnl.  We  fnniul  a  goixl  sheltereil  place  i-allt'd 
(iroirorv  itay,  and  there  (hoj>|ieil  aiuhor:  tiie  wind  contiii- 
lu'd  t4»  l)l(i\v  hard,  and  next  day  lK*in<r  Sunday  we  ixMuaine<l 
at  onr  anchorage. 

\Ve  coidd  see  on  sliore  a  lar<»  •  'leep  raneli.  where  they 
carried  on  linsiness  on  a  large  scale,  for  there  wciv  numer- 
ous flocks  feeding  on  the  sides  of  tiiegrecii  mountains,  nud 
<lo\vn  near  a  long  stretch  of  sandy  lieacli  was  a  large 
Itiiilding  usee!  as  we  thought,  for  storing,  and  a  nunilN-r 
of  oiithonses,  she<ls  and  fences,  l>esides  ciittagi'S  ftir  tlie 
workmen.  So  far  w«>  had  not  seen  a  huinai.  l>eing.  ami  we 
In  'Sill  to  get  ready  for  a  trip  on  shon-  to  wake  them  up, 
and  see  if  we  comM  purchase  a  g<MMl  fat  lami>.  NVe  cai- 
ried  oiu  revolvers  with  ns,  iu  ea.se  we  iiiet  an  eneaiy, 
launi'iied  one  of  the  doles,  ami  HtK>ii  were  stamiing  on  a 
foreign  sliore  at  the  other  end  of  tlie  world.  There  weix' 
six  of  Us.    and  we  were  a  wild  Iookiii<;  cr«'W.    with   In'anls 


unshaven,  hollow  ( 


iH*ek 


s  and  eves. 


There  was  no  one  at  home  when  we  got  up  to  the  cot- 
tiges.  ahout  twelve  o'ch)ik,  ami  tiudiug  there  n»»  i«igns  of 
liospitalitv,  we  proi-eeded  to  the  superintendent's  house. 
W'l  had  to  vviAs  over  a  hridge  that  s|Niuiied  a  narrow  inlet 
making  in  f  oni  the  xea,  with  a  very  high  liaiik  on  each 
Hide,  and  as  we  w<»re  asceiiduii;  the  oiMiosite  Imnk  we  came 


sm 


hlenl 

th 


v  on 


on  with  It  > 


to  a  mill    with  a  hunrlle  on  Iuh  hack,    laxlied 
strand    of  ttvi   cordage,   and   l»y  liii*   ap|M*araiice, 


jud'/in/  from   «•,  /se    gentry    we 


>ft 


en    see 


at 


iiMue. 


slioiiUI  sav  *ve 


I 
lia'f  uiip^rtheil  a  *^r»mp  xway  ilown  in  Patji- 
gonia.  What  he  imagined  we  were  I  ean  only  gi*e(i8.  for 
he  started  witU  m  lo  )k  of  fear  in  Win  t<ye^.  and  gUnce<l  l»e- 
hiiid  him  to  sim'  if  th>'  way  wai  clear  for  a  giHid  run.  hut 
changing  his  mind,  he  st"'>d  still.  prahiMy  Wiiinug  f.»r  the 
eiHiiiiiiind  of  "  u|)  hands."  We  tried  to  itii  inth  Iiimi.  l.ut 
he  "  iK>  savvy  ;"   theti  we  tried  t  ■  nmiie  him  It-el  naff  with 


I 


T6 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    OOLl)    I'lKI.DS. 


IIS.  I  siiu  lu'  was  iiiietisy  and  niistniHtl'ul  in  (lurconiiniiiyr 
liut  \vi'  (■liiiij;  to  liiiii ;  it  was  our  only  hope  that  he  talked 
l-iiij,'lisli,  whicli  I  knew  lie  undorstood,  and  aftera  wliilc  lie 
heeaine  inoie  reeiMuuled  and  hnj^an  to  talk  more  Kiij^lish, 
and  we  learned  that  the  ranch  l)elonged  to  an  Knglish  syn- 
dicate, hut  nil  of  a  suchlon  they  quit  husiness  and  deseiUul 
the  ranch  ;  tlic  slicep  we  saw  on  tlic  mouiitjiiii  l)eh)ii^fed 
to  some  other  ranch. 

That  was  the  j>;ist  ol'  what  wc  h'anied,  and  our  hopes  of 
a  j^ood  dinner  on  sliore  were  sliattered,  hut  wc  went  on  to 
the  house,  wiiich  we  t'oiind  open,  and  went  in ;  everythinj; 
was  lyiiij;  tlu'ie  just  as  they  left  it,  -  even  the  tahh'  set, 
an  I  the  remnants  of  what  they  liad  for  that  meal  ;  it 
htoked  just  as  thouj:h  tiiey  liad  j^one  out  on  the  raiicii  to 
return  in  the  evciiiiiif.  In  the  sittinj^  room  was  a  lieaiitiful 
iian^Mii^r  lamp,  and  a  line  Imrometiu'  liiin<;  on  the  wall,  and 
a  set  of  the  international  co<le  siifjial  lia>j;s  :  the  room  was 
cosy  and  neat,  and  tliroii<;h  the  windows  we  could  view 
the  watei-s  of  the  straits,  with  the  Diver  lyinj;  [M'acefiilly 
at  her  moorin;r.  Some  nieiis  wearinj;  apparel  was  han|i,'in<^ 
on  the  wall  in  dirt'erent  parts  of  the  iiouse,-  iiiid  a  dmihle- 
harrellcd  shiili,nin  stood  lichind  the  jamh  :  one  room  in  the 
house  was  used  for  a  store;  there  were  four  rooms  ii|h 
stairs>  three  of  them  used  lor  sleepinj.''  rooms,  and  the 
fourth  for  revolver  practice  and  feiiciii;u:  with  the  foil  ; 
there  were  a  pair  of  tlu;se  weapons,  with  ^rlovcs.  mask,  and 
ammunition  for  the  revolver.  On  the  lirst  lloor  helow  was 
also  a  sleepin;r  apartment,  well  furnished,  and  here  also 
was  more  wearing'  apparel. 

We  wandered  over  the  ranch  until  we  thoui,dit  it  lime 
to  L^o  on  hoard  :  in  the  meantime  the  tramp  had  slipjicd 
awav,  and  I  thoiitrlil  to  mvscif  that  this  man  was  not  what 


he  seeme( 
Id'come  o 


I.-    1 


ml  whal  was 


he  doin^r  here  alone  '.  whal  had 


f  (he  occupants  of  the  house/   had   there   Iteeii  a 
ranehmaiis  wm.  iuid  these  people    killed   or   driven   from 


TIIRorOH    THK   STKAITS   OK    >IA(5KM,AN. 


'\\ 


llK'ii"  possessMMis  '.  Tlies*'  were  my  tlious^lits  as  we  sanii- 
teivd  aloiiji,'  the  sandy  iK'aeli  towanl  our  iHiat,  i^»tlieriii«;  up 
some  cni'ious  sliells.  tliiiikiii;^  liow  tlie  folks  at  lioiiie  would 
value  them.  N\  e  lauiu-heil  our  Ixiat  and  rowed  for  the 
scIk  ;)ner,  and  when  part  of  the  di.stan«-e  was  •raine«l  saw 
three  raiicheros  on  their  ponies  coniing  down  the  lieni-h  as 
fast  m  they  eoidd  ronie,  with  an  arsenal  of  |>istols  and 
knives  han<,'in<;  at  their  iM'lts.  'I'liey  slmok  their  lon<r.  Imny 
arms  in  tiireateiiinj,'  LTestinvs  at  us,  as  thoutrii  defvini:  ns 
to  hind  a<j:ain.  1  did  not  ivlish  the  idea,  and  e\|H'eted  at 
any  moment  to  hear  the  l>idlets  come  sin<rint;  around  us, 
so  \\v  rowed  and  rowd  hard,  until  we  j;ot  on  lioard  the 
Diver,  tiien  we  felt  we  w«'i\*  ahle  t»»  stand  them  off.  if 
they  came  around  to  trouble  us. 

1  think,  hy  the  sudden  disap|itMrance  of  the  tramp,  that 
he  iia<l  informed  the  ninchmen  of  our  presence.  proU-dily 
<rivin<^  an  exai,'ijeiaied  accoinit  of  what  we  wen>  doiuij, 
an*I  our  ap|M'ani<n  i-  as  well  :  this  provokiuij  their  iiv, 
they  felt  it  their  duty  to  resist  the  intrusion,  and  drive  the 
i<rnoi»Ie  invaders  from  their  shores. 

We  were  soon  to  leave,  however,  for  next  day.  with  a 
fair  win»l,  we  hove  up  anchor  and  «iailed  out  of  (Jreijory 
hay.  shapini;  our  course  for  I'onteiincs.  or  Samly  I'oint, 
and  early  that  afternoon  we  anchored.  The  consul  came 
on  lioanl  ami  wanted  to  know  \\\\\  we  did  not  tly  our  tlaj.'. 
The  reason  was  we  had  no  |M*unant  iiallianls.  for  what  we 
iiad  used  was  some  old  cord  line  that  Mr.  lltM^jH'r  lind 
picked  up  aliout  ilrver's  Islanil.  lie  insisted,  and  Mr. 
Hooper  told  him  that  we  woidd  seit  it  sihiu.  and  jum|H'(l 
into  the  Koat  and  went  on  shore.  I  stayed  on  iMiard.  an<l 
let  Mr.  I  loo|H>r<;et  her  throu<rh  without  a  tlai;  set,  ami  after 
ahout  two  hours  he  returned,  and  this  was  the  last  chance  of 
j^ettiiiL'  provisions  until  we  ivached  San  Kn»ncisco.  What 
he  lirouifht  consisted  of  half  a  hu>hel  of  onions,  thive 
hushels  of  potatoes,  ami  a  Iwff   of  ri«-e.      lie   hmuirhi    the 


78 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    (iOLI)    KIICLDS. 


Iiill  of  lit-altli  with  liiin.  How  lit;  iniiiia<;e(l  to  get  it  I 
iloiit  i<ii()\v,  liiit  lio  liiul  it,  ami  we  p)t  undcM-  way  with  a 
fair  wind  and  sailed  lor  a  little  river,  the  name  of  which  1 
have  foijL'otten,  fiiither  alonj^  the  coast,  where  we  were  to 
fill  up  oMi'  water  casks  ajj^ain. 

Some  of  the  men  now  were  almost  in  open  mutiny. 
Mr.  Hooper  a<,'recd  to  let  them  have  the  dory  after  he 
<ume  ltack,l»nt  instead,  the  l>oat  was  hoisted  on  hoard,  and 
away  we  went,  liut  the  men  were  very  an<;ry.  We  ^ot  to 
the  month  of  the  river  that  niijht  and  anchored.  The  moun- 
tains and  woodland  here  were  heantiful  and  <,'reen  :  lyinjf 
alonir  the  shore,  at  the  month  of  the  riv(!r,  wt-re  the  trunks 
<if  irrt^at  trees,  all  stripped  of  their  foliatfe,  limljs  and 
iiark,  and  the  siekenini;-  white  ai)pcaranee  of  these  kin<;8 
of  the  for»'st  forced  one  to  ima<,Mne  they  wore  the  hleuched 
iMtues  of  some  <rreal  Icsiathans  of  the  deep,  washed  up 
from  the  sea.  until  their  numhers  tormed  this  mannuoth 
catiicomh.  It  was  shallow  water  here,  and  we  lay  some 
distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  livcr;  we  could  only  carry 
three  liarrcis  in  the  boat,  so  we  had  to  make  many  trips 
to  the  river  liefore  we  had  a  sutlicieut  supply. 

The  iirst  trip  I  made  !  .saw  a  thx  k  of  liirds,  resemhliufr 
the  cape  pi^'con,  on  a  point  of  the  river,  and  as  the  tide 
was  ciihinif,  they  waded  into  ihc  water  and  pecked  at 
Homethinjr  in  the  sand  :  I  went  down  to  see  what  it  was, 
and  they  all  arose  on  tlie  winir,  as  I  thoULdit,  to  lly  away, 
lint  insteail.  tuiiicd  and  ciicled  arnuiid  my  head  with  a 
whirl  that  was  dcafenin;^',  and  1  was  afraid  ihey  woidd  at- 
tack me,  hut  they  ke|»t  out  of  the  reach  of  my  arm,  and  I 
satistied  myself  they  were  tishinj,'  lor  clams.  I  turned  up 
the  lieach,  jjot  in  oni'  Itoat,  and  rowed  up  the  river  to  .see 
what  sights  there  were  up  there.  'I'hc  rivt-r  was  fidl  of 
Kuags  that  made  it  diilicnlt  U.  uavii,'ate-  h'.Te  was  lejrion 
of  duck,  younjf  and  olil,  so  tnme,  lMnn<r  unused  to  nan, 
that  we   coidd   almost    catch   them    with   o;ir   hands  ;   the 


THHOLMill    TIIK   STKAITS    OK    MAGKI.I.AN. 


70 


Itovs  (lid  iiiak<'  sitiiic  l)rilli;iiit  I'lTorts  t<»  faptiirti  a  few  of 
tlu'S(>  Itinls,  nf  wliifli  I  liail  licanl  so  iiiiicli,  Imt  never  liad 
eaUMi,  l)Ut  jiisl  as  tliev  tliniijifht  they  litvd  tlieiii.  ilnwii  tliey 
would  ;;(• :  some  struck  at  tlieui  witli  the  oaix,  hut  the 
wiry  duek  was  watcliinif,  and  tlie  oar  aud  the  ihi(di  never 
met. 

When  we  j^mt  tired  oi"  ehasintj  ducks  we  rowed  I'artlier 
U|i  tlie  river,  in  fact  as  far  as  we  could  yo  :  all  alonjf 
its  liank  was  a  dense  forest.  Many  iiolile  trees  were  ready 
to  slide  down  the  liaid<  in  the  j.ext  freshet.  I>ut  I  saw  none 
so  large  as   those    lying  stretihed  on    the  sand  across   tlio 


I.IIINO    (>'     I  UK    KI\KK    lOK    WATKH. 


river's  mouth,  wiiich  h'd  me  to  lielicve  that  these  trees  had 
IttHMi  lying  there  scores  of  years.  After  going  up  the  river 
as  far  as  we  could,  we  landed  ind  crawled  up  ;he  liaid;, 
and  soon  were  sitting  in  the  shaoe  of  the  forest,  where  not 
a  sound  of  hird  oi-  U'ast  was  heard,  and  the  great  silence 
seemed  unliearalile.  Mvown  voice  sounded  strange  and 
unnatural,  ami  I  missed  the  fr(>shiu*ss  of  our  own  gn^eii 
woiwls, — no  little  w  lid  (lowers  greeted  oui  sight,  nothing 
hut  these  great  soudue  trees,  standing  there  like  silent 
witnesses,  reciuding  every  act.  those  tlwf  hriu;;  peace  and 
those  that  c(»iid«mii.      j  felt  siicll  a  h«»TTur  <d    these  woods. 


TO   'J'JIK    ALASKAN    (!(»M)    KIKI.DS, 


that  \vc  SHOD  slid  down  tlu>  liaiik,  ^mt  into  our  dorv.  tillrd 
up  our  wiitcr  liaircls,  and  licadcd  dow  n  tlic  rivi-r. 

W'v  soon  ivaclird  llicspot  wlit'ii'  tlir  Divci'  was  aiitliou'd. 
and  t'ound  the  iia\  i^nitor  loadiiiir  liis  sliol  cartiidirrH  for 
next  day's  sport.  Mr.  Hooper  liati  a  slioiirun  lH'lon{:in<f  to 
Mr.  Stewart  tliat  lie  was  j^'ettini;  ready,  and  we  expected 
soon  to  l»e  l('edin<f  on  roasted  wild  durk.  Next  nmrnini,' 
earlv.  they  went  on  shore  and  lie<,'an  a  slan<,diter  aniohLT  the 
dueks.  (It  eourse  Mr.  lloop(>r  tried  lo  oiit^lo  .Mr.  Ii'nnnds, 
hut  the  navi<fal(U'  was  well  e(| nipped,  and  liein;,'  a  Lfood 
shot.  Mr.  Hooper  stood  no  chanci'.  as  it  afterward  proved, 
fnr  when  the\  came  on  iioard  they  lir<Mi<,diI  seventeen 
ducks  with  them,  ol  which  .Mr.  lloo{H-r  had  shot  lonr.  We 
set  our  piekurs  nt  work,  anri  the  I'eathei-s  wciv  flying  over 
everything  lor  a  while,  makini.'  it  nncond'ortalile  Icm  the 
lookcT-on,  hut  the  savory  smell  that  cann-  up  I'lom  the 
i-ook's  room  dispersed  all  disay'recahle  rcclini.''s,  and  we 
eared  hut  little  how  nnich  of  the  down  ticw  in  our  nmulh 
or  nose,  when  wc  thought  of  the  roast  duck  soon  tn  In- 
oiiix.  Diiuier  was  called,  and  wc  icspoudetl  to  a  man.  and 
I  felt  that  L'ood  tiinos  were  comin<ray;ain.  I  took  m\  plai-c 
at  the  tahle.  hut  when  I  l)e<.MU  to  eat  I  was  disap|)iiinted. 
It  that  duck  luid  muIv  tasted  as  ;rood  as  the  savury  smdl 
from  the  cook  nmixu,  I  would  In'  ahle  to  <;i\c  my  readers  a 
lou^ft^r  iiccounr  ot  thut  dinner,  Imt  wc  continued  catiiii;, 
not  dariuir  to  look  at  one  another.  1  said  it  was  very  i,'ood. 
We  wanted  to  sto|i  ealiiijf,  at  h-ast  I  di<l,  hnt  didn't  dare, 
U-cause  I  had  said  it  was  very  <;ood.  Why  did  i  say  that  '. 
If  I  <ould  liut  recall  those  words  uf  untruth  !  W(nild 
tliex  nevei  i  at  up  that  duck  .'  There  seeuu'd  to  he  nnne 
(III  (lit*  plate  now  that  when  wc  U-ijan.  My  eounij,'e  at 
last  ixserled  itsell,  and  I  arose  and  went  on  deck,  a  ili-ap- 
|Niint«ti  man,  and  1  uotiicd  tlie  rest  all  followed  uiy  exain- 
|iU- :  soUH'  lit  their  pipes,  hni  ootliiu^  was  said  ahout  duck. 

Wv  jfot  our  watt'r  ca-sks  tilled  that  ilay,  and  the  next  wc 


TllUnl'Cill    THK   STRAITS   OK    MA<iKIJ.AN. 


81 


wci<rlic'(l  iiiiclior  anil  saili'tl  awiiy.  witli  fair  tific,  l>iit  licail 
winds.  I  was  j,'la<l  t<»  leiive  tliis  ancliornj^c  to  {jfct  awav 
tVoni  tlic  sij,'lit  (if  (luck,  liiit  wlicii  1  tlioniflit  we  liad  left 
tiicin  forever,  lliev  appeared  on  tlie  talile  aifain  at  dinner. 
'I'lie  lioys  were  talkini,'  tlie  matter  over  and  ajrreed  tliev 
liked  dnek,— ^(if  ( mirse  1  liad  to  eat  some,  Init  fonnd  it 
hard  to  swallow, — so  we  had  duck  for  dinner  everv  day 
that  week,  until  the  cook  one  day  told  ns  that  was  the  last 
of  the  duck,  and  wc  would  have  to  eat  liakcd  heans  iind 
peas.  I  did  not  care  what  it  was  he  fed  us  on,  so  lon^  as 
it  was  nut  duck. 

Wc  were  now  reacliiiijf  out  amonj,'  the  Rocky  monn- 
lains:  the  liist  hitjli  peak  1  saw  had  what  1  took  to  lie  a 
patch  of  snow  near  its  summit,  imt  1  think  it  was  water 
fallini(  from  the  jut  of  a  rock  intn  i  <!e;'{i  ( Imsm  that  iiid 
it  Ironi  our  siuhl,  for  siicii  is  the  foiniatinn  of  these  mmni- 
tjiins,  where  the  peaks  are  i<i  the  st(nni  clouds,  that  there 
are  ^•reat  reservoirs  of  watev  froi  i\li>''h  How  cataracts  and 
even  rivers.  ,\s  we  sailed  fiirthev  on  we  heti'an  to  <H'\ 
views  of  >n(iw-ila(l  mountains,  llioiisands  of  feet  hij,di. 
Wc  coidd  sec  the  caseade  of  water  leapiuL;-  down  their 
sides,  dashintf  the  white  foam  in  mist  no  the  valley  heiow  ; 
these  cascades  lookeil  like  snow,  lint  the  <^hiss  showeil  us 
it  was  fallinir  water,  followiujf  aloni,'  over  sleep  clills, 
down  in  tin  dark  cliasms,  appearing  a^raiu  on  a  slope  and 
rushin^f  to  the  hrink  of  its  termination,  then  leaping 
wildlv  in  mid-air,  and  landine'  in  an  ahyss  id'  foam  in  the 
\;'llcy  liclow,  where  it,  found  its  lex  el  as  it  t,didi;d  in  s-m- 
pentine  track  to  the  waters  of  the  straits. 

I  stood  and  looked  in  wonder  and  awe  at  these  stU|)en- 
dons  works  of  nature.  We  could  see  the  top  of  .Mt.  lUaiic 
with  its  snowy  (test,  a  loiiif  distance  ahead,  and  so  we 
sadeil  on,  wonderiuir  what  would  ho  the  noxt  wonder  to 
jxreet  our  vision,  when  the  ;flacier  came  into  view,  and  this 
was  something  dilTerent    from   anything   we  had   yet    seen. 


8i 


TO   Till",    ALAHKAN    (JOI-D    KIKI.DS. 


Ilt'ic  was  ji  yipiiitic  IcoIhtj,'  l.viii^  on  tlie  side  of  tlic  iikhiii- 
tiiin, —  I  slimild  jiiilijf  this  ict-  (<>  lie  fiv«  liiiiulnMl  I'eet 
tliifk,-  iiiiil  tlirmi>fli  tin-  iflass  we  (Miiild  st-c  tlic!  layt'is  of 
ice  tliiit  liail  lit'fii  made  cvfiv  winter.  Makiii;.''  a  mii^di 
;j:iit'ss.  I  slioidd  say  tlit  it'  were  two  Imiidicd  laytTs,  witii- 
oiit  t'xay:j,'t'i!itioii.  Tiiis  ifivat  luastcrpii'tc  of  nature  iiad 
erected  itself  on  tlie  top  of  the  inniintain  uliere  the  snows 
i)f  all  tiiese  winters  had  stmnied  on  its  sunnnit,  until  it 
had  lieconie  of  siieli  enormous  dimensions  that  its  founda- 
tion was  no  lonvf«'r  al)le  to  sustain  its  wt'ii,dit,aiid  tlie  earth 
yave  way  and  down  it  slid, — not  as  one  mii.dit  imagine 
with  liijhtninu'  speed,  ovei'  idcks  and  trees,  and  tinally 
niassini;'  itself  in  the  rocky  nulch  hetwcen  the  two  moun- 
tains, hut  with  an  imperceptihle  movement  downward, 
like  some  i;ieat  mammoth  en-epiuif  liovard  its  prey,  crush- 
ing e\<  rythinir  iu  the  path,  like  the  wheels  of  the  jui;yer- 
naul.  No  life  exists  where  it  has  passed  over  and  year 
after  year  this  yreat.  inanimate  destroyer  moves  dow  nward 
toW'irds  its  end  in  the  rodcy  \ale  that  lies  lielow.  like  Iwn 
fj'rcat  open  jaws,  e\ CI', ready,  ever  waitinL^  to  receive  (his 
icy  monster  that  sits  perched  on  the  Nlippcry  peaks  o|'  the 
cliH's  ahoNc.  When  the  eml  will  •  ome,  I  kimw  not.  li 
will  he  one  of  the  sij^rlits  I  shall  never  see. 

We  sailed  on  and  after  passini:  this  >;reat  wonder.  Iie- 
L,Mii  tol'Mik  for  others.  After  makinj;-  fast  for  the  nieht 
in  a  snue  ancliora<;t^  in  seven  fathoms  of  wat4'r.  we  fmind 
another  wonder,  and  that  "vas  keljK  My  reinh-rs  may  have 
seen  a  sea-plant  on  the  h.  ach,  ahout  six  m'  ei<fht  inches  in 
width  with  milled  ed^'es  and  a  louir  round  stock;  it  i^rows 
in  oiu"  waU  rs  aluiiit  twelve  feet  lon<,^  hut  the.se  wi-re  cuie 
hundred  and  lifty  feet,  if  not  lon^i-r.  'I'lie  hoys  went  to 
slee|i  satislied  with  w  hat  they  had  seen  that  (hiy.  While 
our  little  craft  lay  in  the  shadows  of  darkness,  ensiirouded 
hy  the  lofty  mountains.  I  looked  down  in  the  still  waters 
and  could  see  their  nut;hty  peaks,  like  louyiies  of  sea  ser- 


1^ 


THROUdM    TIIK   STKAIT8   OV    MAGKM.AN. 


K.\ 


pcnts  diirtiii^',  (liirtinj^  ddwiiward,  hh  if  tostiiijf.  As  some 
coniinotion  was  inatUi  in  tlic  wattT,  our  craft  Inokcd  like  a 
ininiatiirc  playlxtat  anioii^fst  tlicso  iui<rlity  dilVs.  tiiat  now 
rosu  oil  every  siiU'.  Soiuetiint's  we  aiiiiosl  scciiumI  to  Itc 
l<M'ke(l  ill,  lull  as  we  proceedeil  on  our  course,  an  o|K(iiiii;^ 
would  appear  and  so  we  picked  oiir  way,  day  after  day. 

Ah  we  left  our  aiicliorajfe  next  iiiorniii},'  and  stood  out  of 
tlio  liarlior,  we  noticed  another  sclinoner  coiniiiif  our  way, 
l»ut  we  were  not  near  eiioii^'li  to  speak.  Wo  soon  came 
up  to  Mt.  IMaiic,  tlie  lii<,diest  peak  in  the  straits,-  risiiifr 
to  forty-three  hundred  feet  :  liere  on  its  summit  was  per- 
petual snow  and  over  it  liunjr  the  storm  (loud  of  winter, — 
storms  without  end,  ever  smiwin^',  ev(!r  i>iowiii<,'.  Looking,' 
throii<.di  the  ffjaas  we  could  see  the  fri_t>;idness  of  a  cold 
winter's  day.  while  down  in  the  valley  was  the  hot  sultri- 
ness of  summer,  in  rohes  of  ^ficeii  foliaLjeand  heauliful  wild 
flowers.  Ihen;  seemed  to  he  no  hirds  in  these  woods,  the 
only  thintr  wearing'  feathers  that  seemed  to  cliii<;tous  now 
was  the  peii;;uin,  remindiii<r  me  of  the  loon  ;  it  had  no 
win<;s  to  lly  with  and  could  not  walk  on  the  land,  its  home 
lieinjf  in  the  sea.  When  close  to  our  vessel's  side  it  would 
swim,  with  only  its  heail  out  of  water,  and  dive  at  the 
least  cause  of  alarm. 

W'e  w(;re  niakiii;^  our  way  now  for  an  aiu'lionirje,  the 
name  of  which  I  have  foiirottcii.  hut  all  of  the  vessels  that 
passed  throu^di  tin;  straits  stopped  there  for  water.  W'c 
were  not  suic  of  rcachiiin' there  lieforc  night,  and  it  was 
daujferous  to  run  into  an  aiichoiaLrc  after  dark.  W'c  had 
all  our  canvas  spread  and  the  Diver  was  hcadiiii;  along 
with  excellent  speed,  hut  as  wc  drew  near  it  iiecame  so 
dark  that  we  could  not  see  the  little  island  that  was  oiii- 
landmark,  so  made  a  miss  and  had  to  iiii!  out,  iait  headed 
her  in  again,  and  this  time  having  a  Iteticr  lay  of  the  land, 
anchored  all  right.  This  was  risky  work  in  these  sliange 
watei's  ;  althoui.di  the  shores  were  Ixdd,   we   did    not    know 


9% 


TO   TIIK    ALASKAN    (i()I.I»   KIKI.DS. 


where  llit'ic  mi^'lit  lie  .some  (slmrp  |>nnii,'  iit'  a  rock  liiddcii 
lieneatli  the  water,  iva<l\  to  |(ierre  our  vessels  side.  W'e 
saw  wreeks  of  vessels  on  our  wav  throu<,'h,  and  were  eare- 
I'ul  to  a  Fault  for  fear  we  niijrhl  share  their  fate. 

We  lay  again  in  the  shathtwy  gloom  of  mountains,  and 
setting  our  unelior  wateli,  turned  in  until  liriglit  morning 
appeared,  and  tlie  gloomy  shadows  I'adeil  awaiy.  We  found 
ourselves  in  a  harhor  witli  a  little  island  or  the  peak  of  u 
roctk  protruding  altove  the  surface  of  the  waters;  it  had 
gathered  its  verdui'e  from  the  main  land  and  with  »)n(!  or 
two  trees  in  its  center,  might  lie  called  an  island.  I  could 
see  pieeeH  of  board  nailed  across  these  trees  at  all  angles, 
reminding  one  of  the  guith-  hoards  on  a  country  road. 

'I'he  wind  was  blowing  (piite  strong  that  UKMiiiug  so  we 
(lid  not  land,  hut  I  could  see  in  hack  of  tlie  island  a  large 
sheet  of  water,  an<l  uj)  through  the  valley  was  a  glacier  of 
(|uite  large  dimensions,  from  which  ran  a  stream  of  fresh 
water,  aiwl  on  a  point  that  maile  out  toward  us  was  a  ftMice. 
I  looked  and  pondered  over  that  fence,  wondering  who  huilt 
it  or  what  it  was  huilt  for,  hut  could  find  no  solution.  That 
day  the  arrival  of  another  schooner  at  the  anehorage  with 
two  (piarters  of  fresh  heef  triced  up  in  her  forerigging, 
awoke  in  us  a  kind  of  friendly  feeling,  and  we  felt  a  visit 
to  that  stranger  might  work  mira<'les,  so  we  sat  on  hoard 
of  our  own  salted  ciiift,  gazing  wistfidly  over  the  rail  at 
the  toothsome  morsel  strung  up  so  temptingly  before  our 
eyes;  we  realized  plaiidy  that  it  was  not  ours  but  wondered 
if  we  could  get  any.  The  next  day,  the  wind  and  weather 
permitting,  Mr.  Hooper  took  four  or  live  of  the  men  and 
armed  with  ritles,  they  landed  with  the  intention  of  as- 
eending  the  mountain  as  hir  as  the  glacier.  The  navigator 
went  on  board  the  newcomer  and  I  began  to  look  around 
for  some  place  to  speiiil  the  day,  so  the  Admiral,  lioytt 
and  I  planned  to  take  a  stroll  on  shore  after  dinner.  The 
dory  came  back  from  the  other  schooner  with  the  naviga- 


'rHI{<)l(ill    TIIK   HIKAITH    OK    M A(ir.l,I,AN. 


Ho 


toi',  wild  iiit'oriiu'd  iiu^  llmt  wt-  cnuld  L'xchaiijfi'  some  nlOiir 
suit  muatfnr  I'liwlj.  I  rciulily  asHciilcd  ami  lie  liuanU'd  tlic 
straiii.'tM'  a;,f«iii,  wliicli,  out  <»!'  lici'  aliiiiiilaiirc,  scut  iis  a 
liiiid  (|Uartt'r  of  lit'td'  lor  a  IVw  |Miiiiids  ot  salt  incut.  'Ihis 
liccf  was  soon  triced  up  in  nur  fore  rii,'jfini,',  ready  lor  the 
(iook'w  l)ij(  knife  \vhen»'vcr  desired,  and  we  sat  down  to 
dinn«'r  to  a  <;(tod  lieef  stew. 

After  dinner  I  ordercil  tlie  dory  ulon<rsid((,  und  taking' 
my  rille,  jnm|ied  in  witli  .\dmirul  and  lloytt,  the  dory  wuh 
CUHt  off,  and  the  hoys  pnlltMl  tor  the  shore.  We  |)assod  liy 
tiie  little  ishuKl  und  lunded  on  the  muin  shore  to  take  a 
stroll  throuifh  the  woods  across  the  peninsular  to  the  inlet 
on  tlu-  opposite  side,  and  after  taking'  onr  hearinj^s,  we 
(dii.'hed  the  hank  and  plunged  into  the  dense  forest  of 
inider^Mowth,  of  which  I  almost  despuir  of  <;ivintf  my 
readeix  u  true  deHcription.  When  we  had  cmerj^ed  from  a 
tunirled  mass  of  reeds  and  thorns.  \vv  seemed  to  have 
found  hetter  tnivellinjf ;  with  the  exception  of  a  few  fallen 
trees,  the  way  uppeared  easy,  when  the  Admirul,  who  |ire- 
ceded  nie  a  few  feet,  ull  of  a  sudden  tlLsappeured.  lie 
was  a  tall  six-footer,  ami  the  last  I  saw  of  him  was  his 
hand,  holdinj^  the  ritle  hi^di  up  in  the  air,  while  with  his 
other  hand  Im  clutclu'd  wildly  at  nothinj;,  for  there  was 
nothinj;  to  sustain  him,  and  wtiut  down  out  of  si<;ht. 

"  Poor  Adnnral  I  **  I  thoujjfht.  *•  lie  wasn't  a  had  fellow 
after  ull,  what  sad  ncnvs  for  Lynn,"  and  I  ere[)t  carefully 
on  toward  the  place  where  I  lust  saw  him,  und  peered 
down  through  u  mass  of  hroken  limits  und  moss,  und  there 
was  tlu^  Admirul  mukinjr  un  etVort  to  tind  his  wuy  out 
throuffh  an  underirround  [)ussu|(e.  The  meuns  of  his  sud- 
den exit  wus  caused  l»y  the  (tld  windfulls,  yearn  u^o,  lo(l<r- 
ing  t'()'\r  or  Hvc;  feet  uhove  the  <rround,  and  formin<r  a  re<:- 
ilar  1.1  iwork,  over  which  vines  and  the  thick  moss  of  that 
t  >'iiitrv ,  with  other  shruhbery,  had  jifrown  ;  the  fallen  trees 
hud  In^'onie  so  decuyed  that  they  would  crund)le  away  at 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


V. 


A 


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1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


■4^128 

u£  1^  nil 
t  1^ 


1.8 


U    il.6 


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<?: 


7 


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Photographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(7U  j  872-4503 


^ 

^ 


I* 


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5> 


iV 


86 


TO  THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIELDS. 


the  touch,  ami  we  were  deceived  l)v  this  tieaclierous 
crust,  takinjj  it  for  tlie  irround  ]»r(»per,  and  the  consecjuence 
was  poor  Admiral  broke  tlu(iu<,'h,  Imt  we  could  travel  in 
this  uiiderjifrouml  tnuk  until  we  readied  the  otlier  side, 
and  there  was  no  danger  of  irettinir  hurt,  for  the  moss 
covered  evervthing  ami  was  as  soft  as  featliers.  An  olil 
stump  wouM  fall  into  dust  if  you  guxe  it  a  kick,  i)eautiful 
wild  floweis  were  growing  on  long,  cree})ing  vines,  and 
l)erries  that  weiv  strange  t<»  me.  so  I  did  not  eat. 

We  came  out  of  this  Patagonian  jungle  on  to  a  clear 
l)lain,  and  l)efoi-e  us  w:»n  the  iniet  of  bright  water  1\  ing 
along  the  foot  of  the  mountJiin.  like  some  great  mirror, 
reflecting  all  ti»at  came  liefoi-e  its  surface,  iind  tliere,  some 
distance  to  our  right,  was  tiie  i»oint  and  fence.  We 
walked  around  the  head  of  this  inlet,  and  found  a  deep 
running  stream  crmfronting  us,  which  we  followed  along  the 
bank  to  find  a  place  to  fonl.  l»ut  after  an  hour's  crawling 
and  eliml)ing  through  the  vine-covered  bushes  that  lined 
its  I)ank.  we  gave  up  our  search  and  letraced  our  way  to 
the  siiore  of  the  iidet.  where  we  found  tliree  of  our  men 
in  the  <lory  g-atheriug  mussels,  of  which  they  had  tilled  a 
flour  barrel.  We  saw  Mr.  H<ioper  and  his  men  across  on 
tlie  point,  where  the  fence  was  built,  so  we  got  into  the 
dory  and  crossed  over,  and  found  them  enjoying  them- 
selves eating  roasted  mussels.  They  were  lying  in  an  old 
shed  built  of  ynAes  ami  Inush,  the  roof  covered  with 
lioughs  and  dirt,  making  a  goiMl  shelter.  1  was  invited  to 
partake,  and  fouml  tlie  mussels  <|uite  a  luxuiy. 

I  told  Mr.  llo«n»er  about  the  tleal  we  had  made  that 
morning,  after  lie  left,  and  a  sulky  scowl  clouded  his 
face  as  he  steadied  his  voice  and  asked  who  made  the  trade, 
I  or  Mr.  Hoiimls.  I  told  him  Mr.  Kounds ;  then  he  flew 
into  a  passion,  ami  siii«l  Hounds  was  trying  to  undermine 
him.  he  was  going  to  leave  the  vessel  and  get  work  on  a 
ranch,  and  so  he  ranibletl  on.     The  dory  had  gone    oft'  to 


THROUGH   THE   STRAITS    OF   MAGELLAN. 


87 


tlie  schooner  with  one  load,  aiid  had  now  returned  for  us. 
Mr.  Hooper,  in  his  mad  jealousy,  Avas  really  undermining 
iiiinself,  for  when  tiie  boys  saw  liow  displeased  he  became 
I)ecause  we  had  got  fresh  meat,  even  refusing  to  eat  it  at 
supper  tliat  nigiit,  tliey  felt  disgusted,  and  I  could  not  help 
but  feel  tiiat  he  was  carrying  it  a  little  too  far,  so  I  did 
not  really  care  whether  he  left  or  not.  That  evening  he 
asked  me  to  call  all  hands  aft  in  the  cai)in,  for  lie  wanted 
to  hear  from  their  own  lips  whether  they  wanted  him  any 
lo'iger  or  not.  I  did  as  requested,  and  a  few  of  the  boys 
responded.  I  turned  in,  because  I  felt  ashamed  for  him, 
when  he  stood  up  and  said  that  there  was  a  party  trying 
to  run  his  part  of  the  company,  and  it  looked  as  though 
this  party  was  trying  to  run  him  out,  and  he  wanted  to 
know  if  they  wished  him  to  stay  or  not,  for  he  would 
leave  tlie  vessel  if  they  so  desired.  ]Mr.  Stewart  replied 
that  he  thought  it  wisest  for  Mr.  Hooper  to  stay  with  us, 
as  this  was  rather  a  rocky  looking  country  to  go  ranching 
in,  and  he  thought  the  rest  of  the  boys  were  of  his  senti- 
ments. This  speech  let  Mr.  Hooper  out  of  a  small  place, 
for  he  did  not  intend  to  leave,  but  he  was  quieting  down 
and  wanted  an  excuse  for  h's  tantrums.  The  boys  went 
back  to  their  bunks,  and  I  slept,  and  I  guess  Mr.  Hooi»er 
did. 

Next  day  was  Sunday,  and  there  was  another  surprise 
for  us,  for  there  lying  near  us  was  the  steamer  New  Eng- 
land, a  fine  iron  boat  from  Boston,  that  had  come  to  the 
anchorage  sometime  during  the  night.  We  hailed  this 
vision  with  delight,  for  we  knew  we  would  get  the  latest 
news  from  home.  About  ten  o'clock  that  day  ^Ir.  Hooper 
came  on  deck  dressed  in  his  best  togs  and  invited  me  to 
go  on  board  the  New  England  with  him.  I  had  just  at 
that  moment  brought  up  from  the  cook  room  a  dish  of 
steamed  mussels,  and  its  pleasing  aroma  created  in  me  a 
strong  desire  to  stay.     Although  I  should  have  visited  the 


88 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


steamer  out  of  courtesy,  I  could  not  go  with  Mr.  Hooper 
and  listen  to  his  decei)tive  liarangue  to  the  stranger,  so  he 
went  without  me,  accompanied  by  a  few  of  the  men. 

As  this  was  to  he  our  last  da}'  here,  I  got  two  of  the 
men  and  the  dory,  put  in  two  Avater  barrels,  and  went  on 
siiore  to  tiike  a  good  look  around.  We  landiHl  at  the 
fence,  for  there  was  a  stream  running  down  through  a 
dee[)  ravine  from  the  foot  of  the  glacier,  and  the  fence 
was  l)uilt  from  where  the  deep  gorge  ended  down  to  the 
water.  On  the  njiland  it  was  built  of  l)rusli  so  thick  that 
no  beast  of  any  size  could  penetrate  it,  and  from  there  out 
on  the  point  split  rails  were  used  ;  the  camp  I  mentioned 
was  on  the  bank,  and  a  few  feet  further  in  was  an  open- 
ing. ]\Iy  theory  about  this  fence  was  that  it  was  built  to 
trap  deer,  for  when  they  came  down  from  the  mountain  to 
drink,  the  gorge  being  too  steep  for  them,  thej'  would 
come  down  on  the  level,  and  there  was  the  fence  which 
they  would  follow  along  until  they  came  to  the  opening 
and  go  t)u'ouo:h.  Then  the  watchful  hunter  saw  his 
game,  and  made  his  onslaught  with  spears  or  clubs, — I  do 
not  suggest  a  gun,  for  it  pr()bal)ly  was  tlie  work  of  Indians, 
as  no  whites  lived  within  hundreds  of  miles,  and  with  high 
rocky  mountiiins  to  climb  they  were  not  likely  to  come  so 
far  hunting. 

It  was  getting  daik,  and  I  told  the  l)oys  to  push  the 
dory  well  uj)  in  the  stream  and  fill  our  barrels  ;  while  this 
was  l)eing  done,  I  took  my  rifle  and  walked  down  on  the 
point,  and  was  just  opposite  the  oi)ening  when  I  heard  a 
sudden  crash  in  the  woods,  at  the  same  time  one  of  the 
men  called  my  name.  I  had  turned  around  and  raised  my 
rifle  to  my  shoulder  at  the  first  ilarn;,  watching  the  open- 
ing, not  knowing  what  would  come  through,  man  or  beast. 
The  men  in  the  boat,  like  myself,  were  somewhat  excited, 
and  I  bade  them  hurry,  while  I  held  my  rifle  ready  to  use  at 
a  moment's  warning.    It  seemed  as  if  they  never  would  get 


THROUGH    THK   STKAIT8   OF   MAGKLLAN.  S& 

those  biinels  Hlled.  In  the  gloomy  sha(h)ws  of  the  trees  I 
could  fancy  some  wild  beast  ready  to  sjjring  on  the  men  in 
the  dory,  wiio  were  throwinj;  water  now  like  a  hand-tub 
at  a  firemen's  picnic.  1  fancied  I  saw  forms  of  men 
stealthily  moving  toward  us,  and  could  hardly  refrain 
from  shooting  my  rifle  at  an  old  dead  tree  that  I  took  for 
a  Patagonian  Indian  in  all  his  war  featiiei's.  I  had  watched 
this  old  tree  so  long  that  my  imagination  got  the  better  of 
my  eyesight,  and  I  could  see  his  tierce,  bloodshot  eyes 
glaring  at  me  through  the  thick  brusii  with  canuibalistic 
fury,  but  when  the  boys  shoved  the  dory  down  stream  the 
spell  was  broken,  and  I  saw  an  old  tree,  with  the  top 
broken  off,  stripped  of  its  limbs  and  bark ;  it  might 
well  be  called  a  mirage  or  optical  illusion,  whichever  you 
choose.  I  got  into  the  dor>'  with  my  rifle  pointed  over  the 
stern,  for  I  could  not  give  up  the  idea  that  there  was  dan- 
ger in  the  woods,  and  the  boys  rowed  hard  for  the  vessel, 
but  we  always  thought  that  it  was  some  living  thing  that 
we  had  heard  in  those  woods. 

We  got  on  board  the  Diver  and  found  the  Captain  o 
the  New  England  there,  spinning  some  good  yarns  to  Mr. 
Hooper  and  Rounds  and  one  or  two  of  the  men,  while  his 
boat's  crew,  with  our  men  standing  around  them  on  deck, 
told  of  the  latest  news  from  home ;  they  told  to  eager  lis- 
teneis  of  the  clouds  of  war  gathering  over  our  land,  and 
the  quick  response  of  our  citizens  at  the  call  for  troops; 
how  the  Maine  and  her  crew  Avere  lost  through  the  treach- 
ery of  hot-headed  Si)ain,  and  now  we  were  going  to  fight, — 
yes,  Spain  would  have  to  suffer  for  this  dastardly,  coward- 
ly act, — that  was  all  thej  could  tell  and  I  longed  for  the 
evening  papers  at  home  to  read  the  news  that  night. 


INTO     TIIK     PACIFIC. —  \VK     MAKK     Oil!     SLKKl'IXO      HA(iS, 

AM)    KI>'I)   THIOM    TOO    SMALL. —  PRACTICAL    ,)OKKS 

(»N   liOAIilt. —  Koon  AM)  WATKIi  (iKT  S("AKCK. — 

COLLISION     NAHKOWLV     AVOlDKD. — Al!- 

KIVAL    AT    SAN    KKANCISCO. 


The  New  Knirland  went  out  bomul  for  San  Francisco, 
and  the  next  day  we  got  under  way,  in  company  with  the 
other  schoonei",  and  kept  togetiier  all  that  day.  1  learned 
from  her  captain  that  she  was  an  old  English  yacht  with 
her  canvas  reduced  to  that  of  a  coaster,  and  she  sailed 
well ;  she  was  owned  by  the  British  Minister  of  the  Faulk- 
land  Islands,  and  they  traded  through  the  straits,  and  in 
the  season  for  seals  went  poaching  and  made  a  great  deal 
of  money ;  the  captain  was  a  German  and  had  lived  in 
this  country  fifteen  years ;  there  was  a  large  inland  sea 
where  most  of  the  ranching  and  farming  was  done  and 
that  was  where  he  traded  mostly. 

The  narrow  entrance  led  in  from  the  straits  witli  steep 
walls  of  gray  rocky  mountains  on  each  side,  on  whicii  there 
was  no  soil,  conse<|uently  nothing  grew  there,  but  down  in 
the  gulches  was  the  regular  foliage  of  that  country.  As 
we  neared  the  Pacific,  the  mountains  became  a  sombre 
gray  and  the  weather  was  (!old  and  chilly,  and  as  we  came  to 
Tuesday  Bay,  the  last  anchorage  in  the  straits  on  the  Terra 
del  Fuego  coast,  we  had  a  dread  of  the  old  Pacific.  We 
anchored  at  Tuesday  Bay,  a  little  round  place  scooped  out 
of  the  solid  rock,  so  it  ^\'as  pof)r  holding  ground,  and  we 

(90) 


INTO   TlIK   PACIFIC. 


91 


(lid  not  feel  siife  tliere ;  this  place  was  full  of  wild  duck 
and  tliere  was  another  slaugliter  by  Kounds  and  Hooper. 
These  ducks  were  very  lar<fe,  l)Ut  when  we  came  to 
eat  them,  they  were  so  rank  that  it  was  useless  to  try. 

We  kept  a  sharp  lookout  that  nif,dit  and  very  early  next 
morning  got  under  way  ;  the  wind  came  fair  and  hehl  us 
until  we  had  made  a  good  otling  and  we  hade  farewell  to 
the  snow-capped  mountains  and  cool  springs  of  fresh  water 
and  wild  diu'k.  We  were  now  heading  for  Frisco  and  as 
the  high  grey  coast  line  melted  away  in  an  atmosphere  of  the 
same  somi)re  color,  the  sun  sank  into  a  hank  of  hlack  clouds 
rising  up  out  of  the  west,  and  the  wind  died  down  to  a 
calm. 

The  navigator  worried  over  an  imaginary  panorama  of 
storms  and  tornadoes,  with  the  Diver  on  the  treacherous 
reefs  and  the  boys  all  struggling  for  a  foothold  on  slippery 
rocks;  our  strength  would  fail  us  and  we  would  hope- 
lessly fall  back  into  the  angry  surf,  to  be  ground  to 
death  on  the  sharp,  hard  rocks, — no  one  would  live  to  tell 
the  fate  of  the  Diver  and  her  crew.  This  is  the  way  our 
navigator  rambled  on,  and  I  thought  it  imprudent  of  him 
to  talk  so  before  a  crew  of  landsmen. 

That  night  the  black  bank  became  broken  clouds  drift- 
ing away  southward,  while  we  got  a  fresh  breeze  from  the 
north  that  brought  the  old  schooner's  bow  up  to  it  again, 
and  she  began  her  old  business  nodding  and  we  began  to 
realize  that  we  would  soon  be  biking  our  usual  bath  out 
on  the  end  of  the  long  bowsprit,  tying  up  the  jib.  After 
a  few  days  of  this  head  wind,  we  got  the  wind  from  the 
northeast  which  freshened  up  into  a  gale  ;  we  went  through 
the  preliminaries  of  shortening  sail,  took  our  bath  like 
men  who  believed  it  a  part  of  their  destiny,  and  hove  the 
schooner  to  imder  stormtrysail  and  f(H'esail,  but  she  did 
not  lay  close  enough,  so  we  payed  out  fifteen  fathoms  of 
hemp  hawser  on  our  weather  bow.     This  did  not  have  the 


92 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    OOl.D    B'IKI-DS. 


desired  ett'ectt  so  we  took  it  on  l)oai(l  iiguiii  iind  rode  the 
storm  out  as  i)est  we  could,  tiie  {jjale  finally  fio'mg  down 
to  a  Ciilni  and  a  liea<l  wind  coming'  in  its  stead. 

With  all  sails  set,  we  headed  up  for  Frisco  as  near  as 
we  couhl.  Kicker  ha<l  <rone  to  hed  again,  after  we  came 
out  of  the  straits,  to  die  it  out  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 
We  were  on  an  allowance  of  one  ([uart  of  water  per  (hiy 
and  had  begun  to  ligure  on  our  eatables  ;  the  black  sugar 
was  gone  and  we  weie  drawing  heavily  on  the  molasses; 
our  oil  barrel  was  nearly  empty  ;  our  pork,  beans  and  tlour 
were  getting  h)w ;  we  had  a  few  barrels  of  rotten  beef  to 
count  on  and  some  rice  ;  our  potatoes  and  bhick  coffee  were 
gone,  and  the  crew  did  not  hesitate  to  denounce  lloojjer, 
whenever  they  met  at  the  table,  in  terms  that  were  not 
Hattering  and  not  pleasant  to  listen  to.  Hounds  joined  the 
men  in  denouncing  Hooper,  as  they  were  now  the  bitterest 
enemies.  Hooper  had  a  spy  among  the  men  who  carried 
the  news  to  him, — the  boys  knew  there  was  a  traitor  in 
eami)  but  coukl  not  locate  him.  We  found  out  in  Frisco 
that  Mclvenna  was  the  man  and  a  good  mate  for  Hooper. 
There  was  no  harmony  now  on  board  the  Diver. 

We  had  the  southeast  trades  but  they  were  very  light 
indeed,  and  we  couhl  count  but  a  few  miles  on  the  log  each 
day.  While  we  were  having  this  fine  weather,  we  worked 
on  our  sleeping  bags  Until  they  were  finished,  and  the  fun 
came  when  we  tried  them  on,  for  they  were  not  long  enough 
to  cover  us  projjcrly  and  the  Admiral's,  especially,  fell  very 
short  of  his  length  ;  he  could  not  coil  his  six  feet  inside  of 
the  bag,  let  him  double  up  in  any  way  he  could  think  of, 
and  when  standing  it  came  even  with  his  shoulders. 

Admiral  looked  disgusted,  and  after  making  a  desperate 
effort  to  utilize  the  bag  and  failing,  spoke  his  little  piece, 
not  using  very  choice  language  as  he  rolled  it  up  and  put 
it  away  for  an  indefinite  period,  when  he  would  unroll  it 
again  and  think  of   the  day  he  tried  it  on  with  all  our 


INTO   THK   PACIFIC. 


98 


lim<,'liiiig  faces  ai-ouiul  liiin,  and  wonder  what  part  of  the 
World  wo  were  in,  little  knowiiij;  tliiMi  that  we  would  he 
scattered  like  sheep  on  our  arrival  in  San  I'^rancisco.  We 
cannot  see  the  future,  and  it  is  well  for  our  peace  of  mind. 

I  hegan  to  feel  we  nnist  do  some  work  on  hoard  of  the 
Diver  to  make  her  presentahle  when  we  arrived  in  Frisco, 
so  Dalton  and  1  serapeil  and  slushed  her  simus  and  painted 
aloft,  and  that  was  all  the  work  1  could  get  out  of  him. 
II  o  o  p  e  r 
p  a  i  n  t  e  d 
deck,  and 
well,  all 
rigging, 
hardly  a 
tling  on  it ; 
had  to 
alone,  and 
weeks  o  f 
working, 

One  of 
ful  sights  I 
aloft  was 
porpoise 
toward  us  ; 
was  very 
porpo  ise 
jump  their 

above  the  surface,  throwing  the  water  high  in  ripples  and 
foam  as  they  splashed  in  again ;  the  guns  were  got  ready 
for  a  shot  at  them,  for  we  were  now  after  everything  wo 
thought  we  could  eat,  hut  they  became  suspicious  of  the 
Diver  and  turned  off  to  starboard.  These  porpoise  were 
marked  different  from  any  I  had  ever  seen, — some  were 
striped  white  and  black,  and  some  white  and  black  spots, — 
they  were  a  pretty  sight.  We  were  infested  witli  molly 
hawks,  a  large  sea  bird,  nearly  the  size  of  the  albatross, 


THE    AllMlRAL   TKYINd    ON    HIS    SLEEl'lNG-DAG. 


a  n  d  I 
alxjut  the 
she  looked 
but  her 
which  had 
whole  rat- 
this  job  I 
work  out 
after  some 
d  i  lige  n  t 
linislKid. 
the  iteauti- 
saw  from 
a  school  of 
c  o  m  i  n  g 
the  water 
smooth, the 
w  o  u  1  d 
full  length 


94 


TO   TIIK    ALASKAN    (i(>M>    KIKLDS. 


wliicli  cuutiiiiiiilh'  t'nlldWiMl  US  iiiid  would  liitc  our  liook.s 
and  Ik'  |)ulh'd  on  ImkihI  as  often  as  \vc  let  tliein  out  aj,'ain. 
Tlicrc  \v«T»'  schools  of  lionita,  oi  Spanish  inackcM'cl,  s\\  ini- 
niiny;  arouml  ns,  hnt  \v»'  only  hooked  (Uic  which  weij^dicd 
ahout  ten  jjonnds  an<l  was  a  welcome  nnirsel  to  our  men, 
who  needed  some  fivsh  fo<Ml,  Itul  the  rest  of  the  tish  were 
shy  and  wouhl  not  Ik*  enuj,dit. 

Some  of  the  iniys  lia<I  their  heds  under  the  dories,  a 
very  cool  place,  irettiny;  the  fresh  hreeze  to  lull  them  to 
sleep,  and  from  \ie\v  they  could  watch  the  tlyinj^  tish  as 
they  came  on  Inranl  nii^hts,  and  when  they  heard  the  tlap- 
pinj;  of  the  little  fish  «m  ileck,  there  would  i)tf  a  rfen(M'al 
rush,  and  the  man  {jetiinif  the  body  of  the  tish,  e"'en  if  the 
winirs  were  torn  of!"  was  considered  lucky,  for  it  was  very 
tender  and  tfoo»l  eatinj;,  and  iielped  us  out  with  our  allow- 
ance of  htavy  hread  and  sour  molasses   for  our  breakfast. 

The  men  had  i-efuseil  to  do  anything  more  than  the 
necessary  work  of  sailiMg  the  sciiooner,  and  they  pnt  tlniir 
time  into  playing  tricks  on  each  other.  Hooper  was  in  this 
game,  as  it  suited  his  disposition  to  see  others  in  trou- 
ble. He  carried  it  on  with  a  high  hand,  and  I  expected  to 
see  him  caught  in  some  of  his  own  tricks  and  get  a  good 
thmshing.  ( )ne  of  the  tricks  was  taking  a  man's  clothes 
when  he  was  asleep.  stutHng  then)  to  make  a  dunnny  man 
and  then  put  it  alongside  of  the  sleeper,  who,  when  he 
awoke,  generally  kicke«l  it  out  of  his  berth,  but  felt  more 
like  kicking  the  man  who  played  the  trick,  when  he  dis- 
(M)vered  it  was  his  ftwn  clothes  he  was  maltieating  in  such 
a  manner.  One  day,  when  McKeinia  was  tiiking  his  fore- 
noon watch  lH?neath  the  dory,  IIooi)er  got  his  oil  clothes 
and  made  a  dununy  and  put  it  to  bed  with  him ;  when 
seven  bells  rang  out  for  the  watch  below  to  turn  out  to  din- 
ner, all  eyes  were  turned' towards  the  dory;  perhaps  they 
expected  to  see  the  dories  rise  up  and  break  their  lashings, 
and  McKenna  and  his  dummy  put  in  their  appearance  like 


INTO   TIIK    I'ACII'IC. 


96 


a  iiiiidiiuiii,  Itiit  us  it  liiippciHMl  llic  (liiiiiiiiy  ciiiiio  (Hit  liist 
t'lom  niitler  till!  (loi'v  iiiid  11  imiiiltiT  ol'  tlic  men  stuiMl  liy 
and  iravc  it  si  kick,  ulii;ii  McKt'iiiiii  criiwlt'd  mit  very  ivaI 
in  tin;  tact;,  t'nr  altlioii,t>li  lie  liked  to  play  tricks,  lie  did  not 
care  to  have  tlieiii  playc*!  on  him ;  when  ho  saw  the 
l)oys  kicking  and  bnttinir  the  poor  duiniiiy,  lit;  joined  in 
the  niorrinu'iil  and  seized  on  the  tlmnniy  to  throw  it  over- 
hoard,  tliinkiii"^' tilt;  clothes  were  Ryan's,  l)iit  when  ini'inined 
that  they  w.iv  his  own,  he  l»e<j:aii  to  show  tt;nipei'  antl 
saiil  he  would  lick    the    man    il'    he    knew    who    it    was. 


MAI    S    UIMMV    HED-KKr.I.dW, 


"  Why,"  said  he,  "  I  came  near  throwing  my  own  oil  clothes 
overboartl." 

Some  of  the  hoys  kept  him  hot  all  that  day,  and  when  he 
learned  that  Hooper  was  the  man  he  could  say  no  moi'e, — 
his  great  friend  IIt)i>per  hatl  played  this  trick  that  nearly 
cost  him  a  suit  of  oil  clothes,  lie  never  could  overlook 
it.  Hooper  thought  that  McKenna  ought  to  take  a  joke 
tlmt  he  played  with  lietter  humor,  so  their  friendshi[),  being 
strained  to  this  pitch,  Hooper  had  to  look  art)untl  for  a 
new  confidant,  and  as  I  was  the  only  neutral  just  then,  he 
began  to  tell  his  troubles  tti  nie,  anil  wanted  rae  to  take 
the  navigating  kit  from  Rounds,  so  he  could  turn  him  for- 


96 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


ward.  He  said  he  would  do  it  if  I  would  naviiriite  the 
siliooner  the  rest  of  the  voyajje.  I  made  but  one  answer 
and  that  was,  '*  Rounds  is  a  good  naviirator,"  hut  he  said 
that  I{o»inds  was  not  sailing  the  vessel  on  the  right  track 
and  had  got  her  in  liglit  trade  winds,  when,  if  he  had  gone 
right,  we  would  have  had  good  fresh  trades ;  "  besides,"  he 
said,  "•  Rounds  is  trying  to  get  the  Ijest  of  nie  Avith  the 
men,  he  wants  to  be  president  of  the  coniitany  wh'en  we 
get  in  Frisco."  »•  You  may  rest  assured  that  Rounds  will 
never  be  president  of  this  company."  was  my  answer,  for 
I  knew  there  would  be  no  company  for  a  i)resident,  when 
we  arrived,  though  I  did  not  tell  him  so,  but  let  him  feel 
that  ho  was  safe  and  there  was  no  danger  from  a  usurper. 

The  Diver  moved  sluggishly  along,  with  a  light  wind 
directly  over  our  stern,  with  only  the  mainsail  doing  any 
good ;  our  foresail  was  jil)ing  from  port  to  stari)oard,  and 
consequently  helped  very  little:  our  jibs  were  hauled  down 
and  hanging  loose  on  the  bowsprit.  We  were  racing  with 
the  sun,  for  it  was  approaching  the  line,  and  so  were  we, 
and  our  desire  was  to  cross  first  and  get  tlie  l)eneHt  of  the 
good  l)ree7,e  which  would  die  out  if  the  sun  crossed  ahead 
of  us.  We  were  still  mile.s  away  to  the  south  and  our 
provisions  were  running  out:  the  cook  wms  feetling  us  on 
fritters,  the  batter  being  mixed  with  salt  water,  and  the 
sour  molasses  went  very  well  when  they  were  placed  on 
the  tal)le  for  l)reakfast  or  su[>j)er,  there  l>eing  nothing  on 
our  bill  of  fare  for  dinner.  Tiie  lioys  would  ask  Imw  many 
and  the  answer  would  genenilly  be  six,  or  sometimes  as 
high  as  nine,  then  eacii  would  take  his  allowance  and  i)er- 
haps  save  one  for  noon  time,  when  we  could  get  a  cup  of 
hot  tea,  of  wliich  we  had  a  plenty,  and  call  it  a  scpiare  meal. 

There  was  a  great  cry  for  water,  for  we  were  down  on  a 
pint  allowance ;  some  would  drink  theirs  up  in  the  morn- 
ing, while  others  went  without  until  noon,  then  a  drop  on 
our  parched  tongues  and  throats  only  crealc<l  a  desire   for 


INTO   THE   PACIFIC.  97 

iiioiv,  ''lit  we  kept  some  for  the  night  also,  and  this  was 
tlie  Wiiy  we  passed  the  days  and  nights.  Tiie  hot  sun  all 
day  ln'i.t  down  ui)on  us  its  tiercest  ia3's,  scorching  our  poor 
half-starved  hfidies,  tormenting  our  fevered  flesh,  until  we 
felt  we  could  drink  the  ocean  dry,  if  it  was  only  fresh  wa- 
ter. Poor  Mr.  Stewart  stood  it  like  a  hero,  not  murmur- 
ing, i)!it  accepting  thankfully  what  he  could  get,  until  one 
night  some  one  drank  his  allowance  of  water ;  then  he  said 
if  he  knew  the  man  wiio  did  it,  he  would  put  a  bullet 
through  him,  for  his  ire  was  aroused  to  a  high  pitch.  All 
hands  were  mustered  together  and  Hooper  gave  them  a 
pointer  in  law  that  claimed  it  to  be  a  serious  affair  to  steal 
a  man's  allowance.  .Mr.  Stewart's  bottle  was  filled  again 
and  lie  claimed  it  would  be  serious  for  the  man  if  he  was 
caught  stealing  his  water  again,  and  carried  a  loaded  re- 
volver to  bed  with  him  every  night.  I  had  my  suspicions 
of  a  certii'u  man  who,  although  he  could  read  the  law,  was 
none  too  good  to  take  it  himself,  for  he  wouhl  drink  up 
his  own  allowance  and  then  go  around  i)egging  of  the  men 
for  a  drink. 

We  were  getting  up  near  the  line,  and  the  Diver  was 
almost  becalmed,  the  water  around  us  was  dotted  with 
molly  hawks,  which  seemed  to  follow  in  our  wake,  like 
l)inls  of  ill-omon,  and  as  1  looked  at  them  I  wished  they 
would  leave  us,  for  our  destiny  seemed  ominous.  As  the 
days  passed  their  numbei's  increased  ;  at  night  they  would 
leave  us,  dropping  silently  away,  always  swimming,  l)ut  the 
early  morning  l)roiight  them  in  our  wake  again, — the 
Diver  could  not  get  away  from  them,  but  flapped  her  sails 
and  rattled  the  booms,  as  now  and  then  a  stray  block 
shea .e  got  weary  of  its  perch,  left  its  shell,  and  darted 
down  on  our  heads,  or  halliards  parting  let  the  peak  drop, 
or  the  throat  to  run  down,  peaking  it  up  like  a  lateen  sail  : 
l)ut  the  birds  did  not  scare,  and  we  scarcely  had  the  strength 
to  go  aloft  an«l  repair  damages.     For  some  reason  or  other 


98 


TO  THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


the  bovs  refrained  from  shootinsj;  these  birds.  Hooper 
fired  at  a  shark  and  hit  him  in  the  head,  so  he  dro[>ped 
astern,  and  we  saw  no  uioi-e  of  him. 

So  the  days  and  nights  wore  ou  drearilj-.  I  was  tired 
of  watching  the  Southern  Cross,  and  longed  to  see  the 
North  Star  ap{>ear  aliove  tiie  horizon,  but  the  Diver  fanned 
along  with  light  winds  that  tarried  us  across  the  line, 
where  we  got  a  head  wind,  and  hannnered  away  at  it  again 
for  a  few  days,  when  the  wind  clianged  and  we  got  a  good 
breeze  from  the  s«iuthwaitl.  We  headed  on  our  coui-se 
again,  keeping  a  good  lookout  day  and  night  for  a  sail,  in 
hopes  of  getting  .<ouie  relief. 

Ever  since  Carliff  wjis  warned  of  St.  Paul's  rocks,  he 
had  kept  watching  incessantly  for  any  new  danger  that 
might  present  itself,  suid  one  day,  after  looking  over  the 
bow  for  some  new  discovery,  he  called  the  navigator's  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  planks  had  sprung  off 
from  the  Diver's  liow.  Rounds  looked  and  saw  the  thick 
piece  of  sheet  iron  that  covei-s  a  portion  of  her  bow  to 
keei>  the  anchor  stack  fnmi  chafing  the  wood,  lie  exi)lained 
to  Carliff.  who  wished  to  have  his  ignorance  excused,  say- 
ing, *•  1  never  Sijw  it  there  Itefore :  I  am  one  of  the  kind 
that,  when  I  see  anytliing  that  I  don't  undei-stand,  I  want 
to  report  it  to  somelxxly.  I  ho[)e  you  will  excuse  me.  I 
<lon't  know  much  about  vessels,  but  I  am  willing  to  learn," 
and  [)oor  Carliff  rambled  on  in  this  way  until  Hounds 
made  his  escaj»e  down  lielow. 

We  were  not  burning  our  side  lights  now,  our  oil  l)eing 
nearly  used  up,  liut  they  were  all  ready  to  light  and  put 
up  in  case  of  a  sail  Ijeing  sighted.  Hooper  ran  his  watch 
with  two  men  on  the  lookout,  one  on  each  bow,  and  as  he 
was  a  great  hand  t*>  sleep  himself,  iiis  watch  on  fine  nights 
foUowedhis  example,  with  no  one  Itutthe  man  attlie  wheel 
dozing  away  hLs  limiteil  time,  while  now  and  then  he  would 
look  down  the  com|>anionway  at  the  clock  to  call  out  the 


4 


THERE   CAME   NEAR   BEING    A   COI  LISION. 


INTO   THE   PACIFIC. 


99 


liells  iis  they  came  along — the  only    thing    to    keep  him 
awake.     One  fine  night,  a.s  Ryan  and  Caiiift"  were  on  the 
lookout, — I  don't  know   how   it  happened,   for  they  Itoth 
claimed   to  have    lieen   awake,  —  Mr.    Stewart    came    on 
deck  and  happened  to  see  a  green  light  on  our  port  how, 
close  ahoard.     lie  notified  Carliff,  who  rushed  down  into 
the  forecastle,  got  the  port  light,  and  hegan  to   clind)    up 
the  starhoard  rigging,  with  Mr.  Stewart  holding  him  on  to 
the    rigging,   while   Ryan  held  on   to    Stewart.     Hooper 
awoke  and  kei)t  the  vessel  off  to  cross  our  niglit  visitor's 
bow,  which   proved  to  he  a  large  three-master,  with  star- 
l)oard  tacks  ahoard,  and  had  the  right  of  way,  for  we  were 
running  with  tlie  wind  free.     Hooper  got  Carliff  riglited 
after  we  were  out  of  danger,  but  he   insisted  on  putting 
the  light  u[),  because  he  had  undertaken  the  job;  he  want- 
ed to  see  it  through.     Carliff  was  peculiar  in  his  ideas  of 
seamanshi[),  and  had  to  be  humored,  so  he  set  the  light  up 
in  tlie  port  rigging,  and  then  said  he  was  ready  to  take  it 
down  if   Hooper  said  so.     Carliff  could  never  luiderstiind 
the  discii)line  of  our  craft.     We  had  a  narrow  escape  from 
collision,  one  of  the  dangers  of  tlie  sea,  wdiich  can   mc.st 
always  be   avoided   if  the   officer  of  the    watch  is  awake 
and  attending  to  his  duty,  then  tlie  lookout  would  kee))  on 
his  feet  and  attend  to  his. 

Our  fair  wind  ran  out,  and  after  a  day  of  variables  we 
got  the  nortlieast  trades,  which  brouglit  tlie  old  Diver  un- 
dei  taut  bowline,  and  as  it  blew  pretty  strong  v,e  iiad  quite 
a  chop  of  a  .sea.  and  she  began  to  waslk  in  lier  old  manner. 
We  could  Ti./t  carry  liglit  sails,  and  it  was  just  as  well,  for 
the  old  gatt' topsail  was  a  mass  of  rags,  and  our  balloon 
jil»  was  not  much  better.  We  had  run  down  the  Soutiiern 
Cross,  but  not  the  molly  hawks,  and  had  raised  the  Gicat 
Dipper.  I  began  to  feel  a  little  more  encouraged,  for  we 
were  nearing  tlie  bottom  of  the  last  barrel  of  flour,  whicii 
was  graliam,  and  so  bad  that  the  cook  gave  up  cooking 


i 


100 


TO   THK   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


fritters,  and  iiiacle  it  into  a  loaf  that  had  a  good  crust  over 
it,  but  inside  a  mass  of  dougli ;  the  loaf  was  cut  up  in  pieces 
about  four  inches  scpiarc, — this  was  each  man's  whack  to 
last  him  all  day.  We  had  opened  the  good  cask  of  water, 
and  as  the  weather  was  cooler,  got  along  very  well  on  our 
pint.  We  met  at  the  table  at  the  usniil  time  of  eating, 
and  eiich  man  unfolded  fi'oni  a  piece  of  white  cloth  his 
luncheon  of  raw  dough,  cutting  it  in  thin  slices,  and  laying 
it  on  top  of  the  stove  to  burn  a  crust,  then,  Avith  sour  mo- 
lasses and  a  cup  of  tea,  we  made  ourselves  believe  that 
we  were  satisfied  with  our  meal.  Sometimes,  in  spite  of 
this  sad  sttate,  we  laughed  and  joked  as  we  rolled  up  what 
we  had  left  for  the  next  meal,  and  placing  it  in  our  pistol 
pocket  for  safe  keeping,  turned  in,  or  went  on  deck,  if  our 
duty  called  us  there.  Poor  Ricker  had  to  come  out  of  his 
bed  and  walk  after  his  portion,  and  I  saw  he  was  not  afraid 
of  the  sea  in  a  case  of  something  to  eat. 

I  told  Hooper  to  carry  all  the  f.ail  she  would  bear  in  his 
watch,  for  we  must  drive  her  into  Frisco  before  the  famine 
came,  that  I  saw  was  inevitable.  Our  raw  dough  was 
gone,  and  we  were  feeding  on  part  of  a  barrel  of  hard  bis- 
cuit, over  which  the  cook  had  spilled  some  kerosene  oil, 
and  even  these  would  not  last  long,  and  our  molasses,  too, 
was  gone.  We  had  run  out  of  the  trades  and  were  getting 
a  very  good  slant  along  towards  i)ort,  now  under  the  stars 
of  our  own  northern  clime,  that  seemed  to  twinkle  softly 
down  on  us ;  probably  it  was  through  our  sad  condition 
that  they  did  not  appear  as  bright  as  when  we  last  saw 
them  on  the  broad  Atlantic.  We  were  now  nearing  the 
land,  and  the  breeze  we  got  was  fair,  and  the  Direr  was 
bowling  along,  with  everything  drawing  free. 

The  order  was  passed  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  the 
Golden  Gate  light.  The  wind  freshened,  and  dark  gloomy 
clouds  enveloped  the  sky,  the  sea  was  toppling  on  board, 
and  Rounds  wanted  to  heave  her  to,  after  a  big  sea  boarded 


INTO  THK   PACIFIC. 


101 


lis  over  the  stern,  sliakiiijr  tilings  np  in  that  (pmrter  gener- 
ally ;  but  no,  wo  wanted  to  make  that  light,  and  kept  on 
running.  Soon  the  cry  of  "  Light,  ho !  "  eanie  from  the 
lookout,  and  we  knew  we  would  soon  enter  the  Clolden 
(Jate,  where  some  of  our  dreams  of  delitaous  feasts  would 
he  realized.  We  ran  up  to  the  entrance  and  were  sig- 
nalled by  a  pilot,  who  Hashed  a  light  on  us  as  we  lay  Itart- 
ly  becalmed  under  the  eliffs,  but  we  did  not  answer,  for 
Hounds  couhl  take  her  in,  and  with  a  light  morning  air 
we  sailed  up  the  hay  and  cast  anchor  in  the  Custom  House 
roads,  furled  our  sails  neatly  for  the  last  time,  and  l»egan 
to  look  around  at  the  sights  of  the  harbor.  I  <lid  not  care 
about  eating  the  two  or  three  crackers  I  had  left  out  of 
the  fourteen  1  got  as  my  share,  two  or  three  days  before, 
when  we  divided  u[)  the  last  barrel,  for  we  were  now  in 
the  land  of  i)lenty. 

We  arrived  on  the  seventeenth  of  April,  making  the 
passage  in  live  months  and  seven  days.  After  this  lengthy 
voyage  we  were  ready  for  most  anything. 

There  was  no  need  of  our  being  short  of  provisions  on 
the  voyage,  for  there  were  nine  humU'ed  dollars  that  Hooper 
had  left  at  home  with  his  wife.  The  trij)  to  Hryer's  Island, 
where  we  lay  two  weeks,  eating  up  the  stores,  hurt  us 
sadly  on  the  voyage,  and  this  was  the  fault  of  Hooper  and 
Rounds,  for  they  phmned  this  extra  trip,  because  they 
lived  there.  Then  again,  the  men  were  unmanageable  in 
this  line.  I  could  not  get  a  system  for  dealing  the  food 
out  properly  to  cook ;  the  cook  was  green  as  regards  the 
system  on  shipboard,  and  conseciuently  cooked  whatever 
the  men  told  him  to  ;  there  was  also  a  waste  of  provis- 
ions that  we  could  not  check,  for,  as  I  have  been  told  since, 
many  a  loaf  of  bread  went  into  the  sea  because  it  was 
a  little  heavy, — no  unusual  thing  at  sea, — and  because  the 
men  growled.  The  cook,  being  a  good-natured  fellow, 
tried  to  please  everybody.    He  was  cooking  for  his  i)assage 

Pacific  N.  W.  History  DepJ. 

PROVINCIAL  LIBRARY 
VICTORIA.  B.  C. 


102 


TO   THK   ALASKAN   (lOLD    FIKLDS. 


to  Alaska,  so  tfu^y  kept  liiiu  in  hot  wiitiT  about  all  the 
tiiiui.  We  hud  no  storeroom  to  keep  our  provisions  in, 
evervthinj^  stood  out  open  and  could  he  dipped  into  hy 
any  one  as  otk-n  as  desired.  Hooper  had  the  raisins  and 
dried  fruit  looked  up  aft,  and  he  ate  these  up  himself,  with 
lloiuids'  help.  After  readiufj;  this,  you  ran  judfjfe  for 
yourself  the  eause  of  o\ir  starvation. 

.McKenna  had  heen  sick  in  his  bed  for  a  week  with  a 
slight  fever,  caused,  1  suppose,  from  lack  of  nourislnnent, 
but  he  came  on  deck  when  the  doctor's  Itoat  came  along- 
side, and  passed  among  the  rest  all  right,  and  so  did  Hicker. 
The  dory  was  put  over,  and  a  load  of  our  men  went  on 
shore, — Mr.  Stewart  and  I  remained, — the  two  liartletts 
got  rooms,  and  so  did  ^IcKenna,  IIoo])er  and  Kyan.  Hooper 
came  back  to  go  with  me  to  the  ('ustom  Ilcuise  ;  I  got  the 
vessel's  papers  from  him,  and  went  up  to  be  (juestioned 
about  our  stops  on  the  voyage,  and  here  a  bad  blunder  had 
been  made.  When  the  doctor  came  on  board  Hooper  and 
Rounds  answered  his  questions  when  I  was  not  i)resent, 
and  my  answers  in  the  Custom  House  did  not  coincide 
with  theiis,  so,  of  course,  there  was  trouble.  The*  officer 
said  it  n)ight  cost  him  his  position,  for  the  doctor  was 
looking  for  just  such  chances  to  catch  them  making  mis- 
takes, and  I  was  advised  to  get  a  (Custom  House  broker, 
who  could  probably  get  me  out  of  it.  I  procured  a  broker, 
and  went  through  all  right. 

This  ended  all  business  with  the  vessel  in  that  line,  and 
I  was  free  from  ilooper  and  Rounds,  both  of  whom  showed 
authority  which  they  did  not  have,  for  they  were  both 
signed  on  the  articles  as  seamen  ;  this  was  a  little  secret 
of  theirs  that  they  had  kept  very  close,  for  Hooper  had 
signed  ihe  ci'ew,  acting  as  my  agent,  and  I  had  never  read 
the  crew  list,  as  he  kept  the  papers.  I  never  knew  his 
rightful  station  on  board,  although  I  gave  him  charge  of  a 
watch,  and  I  never  knew  until  I  gave  him  his  discharge 
what  he  and  Rounds  had  fc'gned. 


!i  :. 


1 


INTO   THK   PACIFIC. 


108 


Hooper  came  on  board  one  day  and  wanted  the  men  to 
get  up  the  hvunch,  the  hows  of  which  we  had  sawed  off  in 
order  to  get  iier  heh)W,  and  repair  her  at  once,  hut  the  men 
on  hoard  could  not  he  induced  to  to\ich  it,  hecause  tlie 
rest  were  on  shore,  and  they  were  not  willing  to  do  it,  so 
nothing  was  done.  Hooper's  reason  for  this  hurry  was 
that  he  liad  met  Hcenum  and  Rowley,  who  had  been  wait^ 
ing  in  Frisco  two  or  three  weeks  for  the  vessel  to  arrive. 
Beeinan  was  the  one  who  had  bought  this  launch  for  the 
company,  and  Hooper  claimed  tiiat  he  was  not  authorized 
to  buy  it,  and  intended  to  throw  her  on  Heeman's  hands. 
When  they  met  they  had  some  hard  words,  but  the  launch 
did  not  get  repaired. 


(•IIAI'TKR   VI. 

ON  SIIOIIK  AT    LAST. — rNsl'CCKSSIM  I.    ATTICMI'TS     "( t    sy.LL 

TIIK    lUVKK.  —  ll«Nil>KI('s    KASCAMTV    I»I.S«'L()SKI). — 

THE  VKSSKI.  AT  I,KN»;TII    DISI'dSKli  oK    AXn 

FIVK    <>K    IS    EMIIAI.'K     ON    TIIK     IMA- 

TILLA    K<tl{    SKATTLK. 


The  fn-st  day  on  slioi-e  1  jrot  a  jrood  iiieixl,  and  1  can  say 
for  Frisco  i-estaunints  tliat  they  are  most  exceUcnt,  and  it 
does  not  take  one's  hust  nickel  to  hny  a  meal.  We  went  to 
the  market  and  oiileivd  meat  and  <rr()cerics  for  the  schoon- 
er, and  every  one  ir«»t  all  the  fresh  stulf  he  wanted  and  was 
happy. 

After  I  left  Hooper.  I  went  np  to  see  IJeeman.  I  had 
to  stay  all  nijrht  to  cat<li  him,  l)ut  I  wanted  to  hear  from 
onr  side,  what  they  weiv  <rt)in^  to  do;  he  siir[)rised  me 
by  telling  me  that  there  was  a  lien  Hied  on  the  Diver,  hy 
the  engineer,  for  the  amount  of  n)oney  he  paid  in.  Hee- 
man  did  not  want  to  talk  to  me  at  Hrst,  because  some  of 
the  men  had  come  on  shoi-e  and  said  1  was  a  Hooper  man, 
but  when  I  assured  him  that  it  was  not  the  case,  he  began 
to  talk.  It  seemed  that  he  and  Rowley  had  been  some 
time  in  Seattle,  sizing  things  \\\),  as  he  i)Ut  it,  before  he 
came  to  Frisco,  but  he  would  not  tell  nnich  about  Seattle, 
and  I  saw  plainly  his  reason  afterwards.  The  engineer 
had  come  direct  to  Frisco  and  placed  the  records  of  all 
meetings  held  by  the  company  in  the  hands  of  Lawyer 
Abbott,  Ix^sides  giving  him  power  of  attorney  to  act  as  sec- 
retary in  his  place,  after  tiling  a  lien  for  his  money,  for 

('04) 


ON    SHOKK    AT    FiAST.  106 

(Jiey  knew  all  iilHiut  Hooper  iiiid  snid  he  wiis  not  to  lit! 
tnistod  iiiul  ill'  would  not  <ro  to  Aliiska  uiider  liini.  He 
wiiH  nuiniiij,'  ii  locomotive  on  some  sliort  line  ontsi  le  of 
Frisco,  so  we  never  met  him. 

lieeman  got  np  a  paper,  to  l)e  sijrned  l)y  the  men  and 
presented  to  Hooper,  asking  him  to  c(mie  to  a  settlement; 
this  paper  was  sijjned  hy  all  except  McKeiina  and  he  re- 
fused l»y  sneaking'  (»nt  and  sayinjr  he  would  see  him  aj^ain 
us  he  wanted  time  to  consider,  so  they  let  him  ju'o  at  that. 
Tlie  paper  was  handed  to  Hooper,  and  a  meetinjr  called  to 
he  held  iu  the  lawyer's  otlice  the  next  afternoon.  We  met 
prom|)tly  and  placed  the  Admiral  in  the  chair  as  president 
])ro  tem,  as  Hooper  was  the  man  on  trial  ami  our  husiness 
was  all  with  him.  Hooper  stated  that  his  papers  were  not 
ready  for  a  settlement  yet,  and  wanted  further  time,  which 
was  frraiited.  We  found  the  Admiral  could  till  the  chair 
in  f^ood  shai)e,  and  it  was  voted  that  I  procure  a  tug  and 
dn(dc  the  schooner  ;  this  was  all  that  could  he  done  at  this 
meetin<r,  so  we  a<l,iourned  with  the  [)ros[u!ct  of  soon  meet- 
ing a"ain.  I  went  on  shore  next  moriiinjr  to  tind  a  herth 
of  some  sort,  where  we  could  Vw,  nndisturhed,  and  I  found 
one  just  astern  of  lUa(d<lmrn's  vessel,  the  Hattie  L.  Phil- 
li|)s.  I  got  a  tug  and  soon  had  the  Diver  moored  to  a 
wharf.  The  next  day  another  meeting  was  held,  and  a 
conunittee  appointed  to  tind  out  where  we  could  sell  or  the 
names  of  i)arties  who  would  be  liable  to  bny  the  schooner. 
We  did  not  have  the  authority  to  sell.  The  Admiral,  my- 
self, Hounds,  Hartlett  and  Beeman  were  on  this  conunittee 
and  the  meeting  adjourned  with  the  agreement  that  any 
one  of  us,  who  so  desired,  had  the  power  to  call  a  meeting 
and  the  call  would  be  respected. 

Admiral  and  Dulton  asked  me  if  I  intended  to  leave.  I 
answered  that  I  did.  This  was  before  the  meeting,  and 
.Admiral  said  they  wanted  me  to  take  the  vessel  np  to 
Alaska  for  them  ;  they  held  out  some  flattering  induce- 


100 


TO    THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


nients  and  said  after  we  got  rid  of  a  cei  lain  member  of  our 
company  evervthing  would  l)e  moi-e  |)leasant.  I  told  them 
no,  I  would  not  sail  on  the  Diver  again  or  any  otiier  ves- 
sel that  carried  Hooper  and  Rounds.  They  said  Hooper 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  nie,  and  almost  insisted  on 
my  going;  then  I  knew  that  Rounds  was  the  one  they  in- 
tendfd  to  drop,  but  I  thought  of  all  Hooper's  meanness 
and  told  them  it  was  no  iise,  for  the  same  old  trouijle 
would  come  up  again  and  [)robably  end  in  murder,  and  I 
believe  to-day  it  was  better  for  that  c<jinpany  to  scatter,  as 
they  did.  I  knew  that  it  would  take  more  money  than 
we  had  to  take  the  schooner  out  of  port,  for  it  would  cost 
four  hundred  doUai-s  or  more  to  make  her  seaworthy,  and 
we  had  the  lien  to  pay  off  Ijesides  lawyers'  fees  and  ex- 
penses, and  then  Ht  her  out  with  provisions.  Where  was 
our  money  coming  from  '.  They  evidently  knew  nothing 
of  the  lien  as  yet. 

The  conuuittee  met  in  front  of  the  Call  building,  a  great 
towering  structure,  eight  or  ten  stories  high,  every  Hoor 
fitted  for  otlices,  with  the  elevator  landing  on  each  floor, 
besides  a  wide,  convenient  stairway  :  it  was  new  and  had 
not  l)een  occui»ied  very  long:  it  took  its  name,  I  think, 
from  the  San  Fnmcisco  Call,  a  daily  paper  of  wide-s[)read 
fame  and  notoriety,  which  was  printed  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  building.  Up  three  flights  was  Lawyer  Abl)ott's 
oftice.  I  saw  plainly  enough  that  he  held  our  destiny,  he 
could  sweep  the  schooner  from  us  and  we  would  not  realize 
a  nickel  out  of  all  we  had,  and  as  the  (H»inmittec  divided 
in  pail's  to  execute  their  duty  as  directed  by  the  company, 
I  wcmdered  if  we  would  have  the  pleasure  of  selling  our 
own  vessel. 

Judge  Abbott  was  a  kind,  good-hearted  man,  but  he  was 
a  lawyer,  and  I  felt  doubtful  of  his  leniency  ;  at  times,  it 
is  true,  he  invited  ns  to  use  his  oflice  without  reiinl)urse- 
meut,  though  Hooixjr  and  his  friends  said  that  we  would 


ON    8H0KE   AT    LAST.  107 

have  to  jja}^  if  we  used  it  Hooper  wanted  to  hold  meet- 
ings in  his  room,  where  he  could  have  full  sway,  I)ut  we 
understood  him  and  stayed  with  the  lawyer. 

The  committee  went  all  over  the  water  front  with  poor 
resul.'-'.  We  couhl  not  do  business  with  any  \y.ivty  we 
met,  because  we  isad  not  the  power  to  sell,  and  after  wast- 
ing a  day  in  tliis  useless  hunt,  we  met  and  notified  the 
company  of  another  meeting  to  be  held  next  day  at  which 
they  voted  us  power  to  sell  the  vessel  at  the  best  of  our 
ability.  Then  Hooper,  in  order  to  handicap  us,  claimed 
we  ought  to  get  five  thousand  dollars  for  her,  when  I 
knew  that  three  thousand  cash  would  be  a  large  sum  at 
that  time  of  year.  I  underst<iod  there  was  no  demand  for 
vessels,  as  it  was  late,  and  tliere  was  no  call  for  one  of  our 
size  for  they  had  no  trade  to  put  her  in  and  the  season 
was  too  far  advanced  to  get  a  summer's  work  out  of  her  ; 
however,  tlie  committee  met  next  morning  and  talked  over 
what  had  passed  in  the  meeting,  and  Rounds  whimperetl 
because  he  could  not  do  as  Hooper  had  suggested,  but  we 
made  uj)  our  minds  to  jjlease  no  particular  one  l)ut  sell  to 
the  higiiest  bidder,  and  started  off  with  a  determination  to 
find  a  buyer,  agreeing  to  meet  at  noon  and  report.  Fred 
Hartlett  and  I  visited  the  office  of  a  large  Alaska  fishing 
firm,  and  Captain  Harriraan,  a  former  acquaintance,  l)eing 
a  junior  member  of  the  firm,  met  us  there,  and  we  sat  in 
the  office  and  tiilked  of  the  Diver's  great  qualities.  Her 
h)ng  voyage  through  the  sti-aits  was  a  recommendation 
tliat  they  co\dd  not  denv,  but  they  claimed  she  was  too 
small  foi'  their  business.  I  saw  we  could  not  sell  to  tliera 
at  our  price,  for  they  were  waituig  for  her  to  be  sold  at 
auction  and  would  try  their  luck  tliere.  I  was  suriirised 
when  they  told  me  this  ;  thev  knew  all  about  the  tijjht 
straits  we  were  in,  and  although  I  put  on  a  bold  front, 
they  seemed  to  know  all  our  business  and  I  think  could 
have  told  how  many  coins  I  had  in  my  pocket  and  the  date 
of  each  one. 


108 


TO   THK   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIEI  DS. 


We  left  them  feeling  tlisgiisted  with  oui-selves,  and  as 
it  was  near  noi»n  entered  a  restaurant  and  got  dinner,  then 
were  soon  at  the  phice  wliere  tlie  eonnnittee  was  to  meet. 
We  tohl  our  s<ul  tale  of  woe.  and  then  Hounds  said  lie 
knew  a  tirm.  the  Ahiska  Kxph (ration  Company,  that  would 
take  the  Diver  in  exihange  for  our  passage  up  to  Alaska, 
and  he  thought  our  only  show  of  getting  there  was  to  sell 
tlie  Diver  to  tliem.  The  trade  would  amount  to  about 
three  thous4ind  dollars  and  he  thought  if  we  were  wise  we 
woidd  accept  this  oflFer.  He  had  told  the  firm  that  he 
wouhl  ap|)>  ar  with  the  committee  about  two  o'clock,  so  we 
decided  lO  go  with  him  and  hear  what  they  had  *xi  say.  I 
could  not  understand  what  kind  of  an  otter  had  heen  made, 
as  Rounds  ke|»t  dn)ppiug  a  wcudnow  and  again,  and  Itegan 
to  tiiink  that  lie  diil  not  want  to  tell  us  all  he  knew,  hut 
kept  urging  us  to  sell,  for  we  would  not  be  al)le  to  do  any- 
thing with  the  vessel  if  they  did  not  take  her,  and  I 
noticed  a  little  anxiety  in  his  speech  as  he  said  there  was 
no  demanil  for  vessels,  and  that  these  people  would  take 
her  to  accommixlate  us. 

Their  ottice  wsis  in  a  large  grey  stone  front  buildinj; 
with  wide  marble  stiiirways,  and  after  asceiuling  one  tiiglit 
and  turning  one  or  two  cornei-s.  we  were  ushered  into  their 
otiice,  which  w;i.s  furnished  with  all  the  elaborate  taste  of 
steaml^oat  men.  There  were  pictures  and  models  of  l)oats 
and  drafts  with  full  «lescrii»tion  of  capacity  for  carrying 
lii-st-class  |)assengei>> :  i»esides,  their  river  boats  were  numer- 
ous anil  elegant,  always  on  time  to  take  passengei-s  from 
the  other  l»Oiits  when  they  arrived  at  St.  Michaels, — their 
system  was  jierfect :  great  maps  showing  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  St.  Michaels,  the  great  route  ;  these  i)oats  sailed  in 
a  blue  line. — iu  fact,  everything  was  there  in  their  ottice  but 
the  steandniat  itself. 

We  luid  to  wait  some  time,  so  we  saw  all  there  was  Im>- 
fore  a  sujieniunian"  apjjeared  and  took   us   out   through 


ON   SHORE  AT   LAST.  109 

another  door  and  into  the  presence  of  the  liard  man 
of  business.  I  hioked  liini  over  and  made  up  my  mind  not 
to  expect  much  from  liini.  We  were  introduced  hy  Rounds 
and  he  began  business  by  inquiring  what  we  expected  to 
get  for  tlie  vessel.  Tiie  Admiral  answered,  being  chair- 
man of  the  conunittee,  that  our  price  for  the  schooner  was 
five  thousand  dollars.  At  this  he  hooted.  "  AVhy,  gentle- 
men." said  he,  "if  you  keep  her  nuich  longer  you  can't 
give  her  away."  "  Well,"  replied  the  Admiral,  "you  have 
heard  our  side,  now  what  do  you  offer  '.  Perhaps  we  can 
make  a  bargain."  "  Well,"  said  lie,  "  we  tlon't  know  whi\t 
we  could  do  with  the  schooner, — now,  you  men  are  strand- 
ed iier6  and  to  help  you  out  of  a  bad  scrape  we  will  take 
the  vessel  off  your  hands  in  this  way.  We  will  give  four- 
teen of  yoti  a  first-cla;;s  ])assage  on  our  best  boat  up  to 
Dawst)n,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  bagirage, 
free  ;  all  freight  you  will  have  to  pay  for.  They  may  need 
your  labor  on  our  boats  going  up  the  Yukon,  and  you  will 
be  paid  for  it,  and  we  will  give  you  the  preference  for  all 
lal)or  that  we  need  outside  of  Dur  own  liel[),  and  will  pay 
you  the  wages  that  are  paid  in  the  place  where  you  work. 
We  charge  three  hundred  dollars  first-class,  and  to  take 
fourteen  of  you  would  amount  to  something  over  four 
thousantl  dollars.  You  are  getting  a  good  price  through 
ni}'  offering,  far  better  than  you  can  get  anywhere  in  the 
city." 

'  The  connnittee  all  turned  and  looked  toward  me,  to  see 
liow  this  offer  struck  me.  "  How  will  the  other  six  men 
get  their  money  (  "  I  (juestioned.  "  They  have  got  to  be 
paid,  and  where  is  the  money  coming  from  '.  "  "I  don't 
know  anything  about  the  other  six  men,"  he  said,  sarcasti- 
cally. "  I  am  telling  you,"  turning  and  confronting  me, 
"  what  I  can  do  for  fourteen  of  you  ;  the  others  1  care 
nothing  about.  I  don't  know  them,  so  why  should  I  careT' 
"\Ve  don't  get  any  money  out  of  this,"  said  I.     "  N^o,"  he 


110 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


replied,  "  I  think  I  give  you  enough."  "  Wiiat  will  we  do 
when  we  get  to  Dawson,"  queried  I,  "  without  money  and 
nothing  to  eat  i  "  "  You  will  find  plenty  of  work,"  said 
he,  "  you  say  yon  are  willing  to  work  and  we  give  you  the 
preference;  we  have  large  storehouses  there  and  may  need 
your  help  discharging  tiie  boat.  You  deal  with  us  when 
you  work  for  us." 

In  my  own  mind  I  did  not  intend  to  accept  their  offer 
for  it  was  robbing  six  men  of  their  money,  so  I  said 
to  him,  "  I  don't  see  what  we  Avill  do  for  mone}'  to  pay  off 
the  other  six  men."  He  must  have  thought  I  was  pretty 
thick,  the  way  he  looked  me  in  the  eye  and  said,  "  What 
need  you  care  whethe^'  they  get  anything  out  of  it  or  not  ( 
It  is  not  likely  they  wonld  care  if  they  were  in  your  place; 
anyhow,  it  is  not  business  to  consider  them.  You  can  go 
to  Alaska,  if  }'ou  choose,  so  don't  let  these  men  stop  you, 
as  they  are  already  doing."  "  But,"  sa.d  I,  "  if  we  don't 
sell,  we  can  go  up  there  in  our  own  vessel."  "How  are 
you  going  to  take  the  vessel  tiiere  ?  I  know  your  case, 
you  have  got  to  sell  if  you  are  not  able  to  pay  off  the  lien, 
and  you  can't  pay  these  six  men.  How  are  you  going  to 
'  pay  the  liens  i  Now,  be  reasonable,  and  do  business." 
"  But  this  is  not  a  square  way  to  do  business,"  said  I.  "  It 
is  the  way  all  business  is  done,  it  is  the  way  we  do  busi- 
ness. ^Ve  go  for  the  money,  not  asking  permission  to  get 
it,  but  have  them  bring  it  to  us.  If  any  one  is  hurt  by 
the  transaction,  why,  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  us,  we" 
keep  on  doing  business  and  getting  money.  Others  have 
the  same  privilege,  let  them  look  out  for  themselves." 

I  arose  to  my  feet  to  go.  "  I  can't  agree  to  take  the 
mone}'  that  belongs  to  those  men,"  said  I.  "  You  had  bet- 
ter reconsider  and  let  us  hear  from  you  again,"  said  he,  as 
he  bade  us  good  afternoon,  and  we  were  soon  in  the  street, 
making  for  our  (juartei-s, — mine  on  board  the  Diver  with 
Rounds  and  Admiral,  while  Bartlett  went   to  liis  room. 


ON   SHORE  AT   LAST.  HI 

We  were  very  silent  on  the  way  down  and  I  saw  that 
Rounds  was  sadly  disappointed.  Was  he  to  have  a  per- 
centage if  we  had  sold  i  There  seemed  to  be  something, 
for  a  man  who  had  travelled  over  the  world  two  or  three 
times  would  never  agree  to  he  landed  in  Dawson,  without 
food  or  shelter  or  tools  to  work  with,  or  money  to  procure 
them.  I  had  a  slight  suspicion  that  Hooper  was  mixed 
up  in  the  matter.  We  decided  to  wait  until  the  next 
morning  before  going  to  look  for  another  purchaser,  and 
agreed  to  meet  at  the  post  office. 

When  we  got  to  the  schooner,  we  found  they  had  landed 
the  dories  on  the  wharf  and  were  talking  about  getting  the 
steam  launches  out ;  they  thought  it  would  be  a  good  idea 
to  get  the  launches  up  on  the  wharf  for  repairs  and  paint, 
and  we  might  get  a  good  price  for  them.  I  went  below 
and  saw  that  the  best  thing  we  could  do  was  to  sell  the 
coal  first  and  get  it  out  of  the  way,  then  there  would  be 
more  room  to  work  in  getting  the  launches  up ;  so  we 
tidked  it  over,  but  tliex'e  was  no  one  to  sell  it.  I  suggest- 
ed having  a  meeting  called  on  board  in  the  morning  to  ap- 
point a  committee,  to  which  they  agreed,  and  Rounds 
hurried  away  to  write  and  mail  tlie  notices ;  the  meeting 
was  to  be  held  at  half  past  nine  o'clock  sharp. 

Then  we  committee  men  got  together  and  talked  of  the 
probabilities  of  our  next  day's  hunt;  we  would  visit  some 
of  the  brokers  and  see  what  they  had  to  say.  We  heard 
that  Captain  Blackburn  was  having  trouble  with  his  men, 
— they  simply  went  to  him  and  told  him  that  they  did  not 
want  him,  and  he  said  if  they  would  give  him  his  money 
he  would  go,  so  they  gave  it  to  him,  and  chose  one  of  their 
company,  I)y  the  name  of  (Jrant,  for  president.  They  sold 
the  Hattie  L.  Phillips  for  a  grub  stake  of  two  yeare,  and 
she  was  to  land  them  at  St.  Michaels  with  their  steam 
launch  and  outfit, — a  wise  trade. 

We  were  up  bright  and  early  the  next  morning,  waiting 


112 


TO   THE    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


for  the  time  when  the  meeting  was  to  be  held,  after  having 
breakfast  and  a  sniok?,  for  1  used  tlie  weed  then  ;  the  time 
soon  arrived,  but  not  ail  tlie  nienil)ers.  We  waited  until 
ten  o'clock  and  witli  Admiral  for  ciiairman,  a  cojnmittee 
of  three  was  a[)pointed  to  sell  the  coal,  the  committee  con- 
sisting of  Hooper,  Rounds  and  myself. 

Before  wo  had  time  to  adjourn,  Beeman,  Ryan,  IJartlett 
and  Rowleys  came  sliding  down  tlie  companion  way  and 
Beeman  imjuired  for  the  names  of  the  conmuttee  which  the 
secretary  read.  Beeman  said  that  Ids  notice  read,  "  the 
committee,"  and  nothing  Avas  said  about  a  new  connnittee. 
This  new  committee  could  not  stand,  and  he  took  excep- 
tion on  the  whole  lu'occediugs  of  the  meeting,  through 
tlie  error  in  the  notice, — the  notice  shoidd  have  been 
worded,  "  a  committee,"  instead,  it  was  "  the  committee," 
and  of  course  he  supposed  it  to  be  the  old  stiinding  com- 
mittee. 

1  saw  that  Rounds  had  made  a  blunder  and  felt  a  little 
2)iqued,  but  there  was  a  motive;  it  was  to  make  these  men 
feel  secure,  as  the  old  committee  was  all  right, — and  it 
woi-ked,  for  they  did  not  iiurry  about  getting  out  of  bed 
in  the  morning  and  were  not  particular  whether  they  were 
late  or  not ;  they  stopjied  to  see  the  lawyer,  for  tiiey  felt 
a  little  timid  in  facing  the  lion  in  Ids  den.  They  were  ad- 
vised to  take  their  iieelers  along  with  them,  in  case  of  a 
warm  time,  little  thinking  it  was  at  a  lieat  tlieii. 

When  Beeman  made  a  motion  that  all  former  proceed- 
ings be  abolisiied  and  we  begin  again  under  a  new  role, 
the  Admiral  arose  in  his  diair,  [)ale  from  excitement,  and 
put  the  question.  It  was  voted  on  and  carried,  1  casting 
the  deciding  vote.  The  chair  glared  at  me,  as  he  had 
counted  me  on  the  opposition,  and  declared  it  a  vote.  Then 
he  stepped  down  from  his  seat,  stating  that  he  would  not 
preside  under  such  complications. 

Suddenly  all  who  were  seated  arose  to  their  feet  with 


si 


$i 


4fs 


ON   SHORE  AT   LAST.  113 

fire  in  their  eyes :  each  one  selectin<r  his  advei-sary,  ad- 
vanced on  him,  gesticulating  in  a  threatening  manner,  midst 
mingled  curses  and  uproar.  Iloytt  had  selected  Heeman 
and  brought  his  Inawny  Hst  into  close  proximity  to  Hee- 
man's  nose.  BeenuiU  put  his  hand  <m  his  hip,  a  motion 
that  seemed  to  have  a  cooling  effect,  and  Mr.  Hoytt  stepped 
back,  as  nuich  as  to  say,  "  don't  shoot,  I  don't  relish  it," 
so  there  were  no  blows  struck.  Wlien  the  melee  began,  I 
got  on  my  feet  as  soon  as  I  could  aiul  tried  to  connuand 
order.  If  I  could  have  got  out  1  should  have  had  a  police 
othcer  there,  but  it  was  impossilde  to  get  through  that 
wrathful  crowd  and  I  stood  alone,  as  no  one  seemed  in- 
clined to  attack  me,  a  silent  spectator  of  this  disgraceful 
proceeding  and  I  wondered  how  it  would  end.  I  saw 
yt)ung  IJartlett  glaring  very  wickedly  at  Rounds,  who  had 
been  our  secretary  pro  tern,  and  luul  refused  to  read  the 
minutes  of  the  meeting.  Our  navigator  did  not  relish  the 
young  man's  fierce  gaze  and  stepped  into  his  room, — under 
cover  of  its  recesses  he  w-as  safe  from  an  attack.  Dalton 
chose  Ryan  for  his  opponent,  and  was  ready  to  give  him  a 
sound  thrashing  and  followed  him  up  on  deck:  Ryan  evad- 
ed him  by  making  his  escape  up  the  main  rigging  and  on- 
to the  dock.  Rowley,  a  little  sickly  chap,  stood  with  a 
revolver  in  one  hand  and  glared  fiercely  at  Hooper  and 
Admiral.  Tlie  sight  of  this  weapon  cooled  the  fighting 
spirit  of  Hooper's  men  and  they  dropped  out  of  the  fray 
as  suddenly  as  they  had  appeared  in  it. 

After  all  this  troul)le  there  was  no  one  appointed  to  sell 
the  coal  and  I  got  at  Rounds  after  the  battle  and  gave  him 
a  pretty  plain  talking  to,  laying  the  blame  all  on  him.  He 
felt  that  he  was  guilty,  although  he  did  not  wish  to  ac- 
knowledge it,  and  proposed  that  we  notify  the  Ijoys  again 
and  meet  at  the  lawyer's  ofiice  that  afternoon.  I  consented 
and  notices  were  written,  this  time  not  mentioning  the 
business,  and  we  all  met  again  at  the  onl}-  place  where 


i 


114 


TO  THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


our  fighting  men  could  Ije  kept  in  subjection,  luul  with  sul- 
len looks  and  a  strong  smell  of  (,\'vlifornia  port,  they  stood 
around  like  lambs,  and  it  was  voted  that  tiie  old  standing 
committee  be  authorized  to  sell  everything  there  was  to  sell. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Rowley's  brother  had  arrived  from 
across  the  continent  with  Mr.  May  of  Vermont,  a  friend 
of  Mr.  Stewart's, — a  Hue  stalwart  man  was  this  son  of  Ver- 
mont, with  the  look  of  honest  labor  in  his  face,  and  I  was 
pleased  with  this  new  addition.  Mr.  May  and  Rowley's 
brother  took  sides  with  Hooper ;  he  had  met  them  and 
given  them  his  side  of  the  trouble,  so  they  naturally  held 
to  him,  believing  that  Beeman  was  trying  to  get  control 
of  the  company,  and  of  course,  acted  accordingly. 

The  meeting  over,  the  committee  went  to  sell  the  coal, 
and  after  a  good  afternoon's  tramp,  we  found  a  coal  dealer, 
Mr.  Channeller,  who  wanted  our  coal,  and  we  received  a 
good  price  for  it.  The  Admiral  found  men  who  wanted 
our  dories  and  paid  us  a  good  price  cash  and  took  them 
away,  but  no  one  wanted  the  launches, — though  if  they 
had  been  naptha  we  could  have  sold  them.  Our  day's 
work  being  done,  we  got  back  to  our  quartei's,  and  the 
money  for  the  dories  was  paid  over  to  me,  for  I  was  still 
the  financial  secretary. 

The  dories  were  sold  to  a  company  of  men  froiu  Lowell, 
Mass.,  who  had  bought  a  barque  and  were  going  up  to 
Kotzebue  Sound.  All  the  old  whaling  vessels  of  the  port, 
— those  on  the  water  or  under, — w^ere  made  to  float  and  fit- 
ted out  to  carry  passengei-s  to  Alaska.  Some  of  them  be- 
ing very  autitjue,  I  considered  them  unsafe,  but  the  great 
rush  for  Alaska  was  at  fever-iieat,  and  people,  blinded  l)y 
the  lust  for  gold,  could  not  see  their  danger,  although 
over  forty  passengers  were  lost,  by  the  sinking  of  one  of 
tliese  crafts  just  outside  of  the  Golden  Gate.  Still  they 
fitted  out  and  found  i)lenty  to  take  passage,  but  what  l)e- 
came  of  them  all,  none  but  thu  Almighty  knows. 


] 


I 


ON   SHORE   AT  LAST.  115 

We  saw  one  of  these  crafts  leaving  dock  that  afternoon, 
a  "vhite  painted  bar(|ue,  and  on  her  deck  were  steam 
liiunciies  and  dories,  besides  a  crowd  of  fjold  seekei's,  hang- 
ing in  the  rigging  and  np  in  the  tojjs  to  get  their  hist  view 
of  the  groups  of  weeping  women  and  children  they  were 
leaving  behind. 

Kotzebue  Sound  was  the  place  that  was  boomed  in 
Frisco.  Captain  Harriman  took  me  on  board  of  one  of 
their  fishing  crafts,  <iuite  a  large  vessel,  barkentine- 
rigged,  that  they  were  fitting  out  for  Kotzebue ;  it  could 
carry  two  hiuidred  passengers  quite  conveniently  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  gave  you  your  passage  with  a  ton 
of  freight.  Some  of  the  sailing  crafts  were  considerably 
cheaper,  but  it  was  too  soon  for  me  to  consider  any  of 
these  chances,  for  our  business  was  not  yet  settled,  so  I 
amused  myself  with  half  a  dozen  oranges,  looking  over  the 
fleet  of  vessels.  Among  this  number  was  a  large  iron  ship 
that,  on  its  way  from  China,  was  caught  in  a  typhoon  and 
lost  all  its  spars,  coming  the  rest  of  the  passage  under 
jury  sails  and  masts,  making  it  in  sixty  days  ;  besides  three 
and  five  masted  schooners,  there  was  the  monitor  Monte- 
ray,  changing  her  color  from  white  to  black,  for  our  coun- 
try was  at  war  with  Spain,  and  everybody  w^as  anxious  to 
hear  from  Dewey  at  Manila. 

A  number  of  troops  were  in  the  city  and  the  boys,  with 
their  neat  uniforms,  could  ije  seen  about  the  city,  taking  a 
farewell  promenade  with  their  friends  before  they  were 
tiiken  away  to  that  far  off  isle  across  the  wide  Pacific,  per- 
haps never  to  enter  the  (lolden  Crate  again. 

The  next  morning  I  went  down  to  Mr.  Channeller's  and 
saw  the  coal  weighed,  and  received  the  money  for  it  in 
gold,  that  being  the  color  of  the  money  in  Frisco  ;  the 
lowest  coin  used  there  is  a  nickel.  I  met  the  rest  of  the 
committee  in  the  afternoon  and  they  thought  they  were  on 
the  track  of  a  purchaser;  our  Custom  House  broker  knew 


lie 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIKLDS. 


of  a  mail  wlio  wanted  to  buy.  'I'lie  porrentafre  for  liiidiii;; 
this  man  was  two  linndrcMl  (hdlars,  Imt  he  felt  sure  lie 
conld  irv\  llircc  tliousaiitl  dolliirs  for  tlie  scliooncr,  so  as 
we  were  to  liave  anotlier  meetin<j:  that  afternoon  to  take 
into  eoiisideration  tlie  (piestion  of  tlie  steam  hmnclies,  wo 
met  at  the  hiwver's  olliee,  onr  new  uv.iu,  Mr.  May,  and 
Rowley's  Itrother,  not  heinj;  jtresent.  The  (juestion  came 
np  aliont  tiie  steam  hinneh  that  Heeman  had  hoii^iit  and 
paid  one  hnndred  and  lift}'  dollars  for,  Hooper  denying; 
havintj  t^iven  his  consent  to  the  transaction.  iJeeman 
claimed  that  he  did,  hut  there  was  no  one  present  at  the 
time,  so  there  was  no  proof ;  he  could  ofl'er  only  the  word 
and  honor  of  a  man. 

McKeiuia  claimed  that  he  never  understood  that  the 
launch  l)elonj>ed  to  the  company,  that  there  were  others 
that  believed  as  he  did.  I  said  I  had  asked  the  (|uestion 
before  we  took  the  launch  on  board  and  never  received 
any  delinite  answer,  but  when  I  saw  her  lashed  on  deck,  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  she  belonfjjed  to  us,  for  they 
had  accepted  the  launch  by  takinj;  it  on  board  and  lashinj^ 
it  there,  and  wben  they  sawed  the  bows  off,  I  felt  still 
more  convinced,  for  they  would  not  darc'do  this  to  another 
man's  pro[)erty.  I  thought  Mr.  Beeman  should  be  paid 
his  money  iov  the  launch. 

One  or  two  othei-s  spoke  in  favor  of  lieeman,  while  the 
fig'htino'  men  said  nothiui;  but  looked  sullen;  tlie  case 
really  stood  in  the  minds  of  the  men  that  if  they  must  take 
a  man's  word  for  it,  they  would  take  the  one's  that  had 
been  the  most  honorable.  This  was  the  way  I  looked 
at  it,  and  1  would  not  vote  for  Hooper,  for  I  knew  him 
to  be  a  fabricator,  and  I  had  never  yet  caught  Beeman. 
The  fighting  men  looked  at  it  diltorently  ;  they  wanted 
Hooper  men  because  they  were  on  his  side,  and  prejudiced 
against  the  other  party,  let  it  be  right  or  wrong.  It  was 
put  to  a  vote  and  decided  that  Beeman  should  receive  the 
money  he  had  paid,  and  the  meeting  adjourned. 


ON   8HORIC    AT    LAST.  117 

Rowley  was  f(ettin<r  uiieiisy  iilxnit  liis  luortj^^iif^e  on  tlio 
laniu'li,  in  spite  of  all  tlie  lawver  could  say,  for  there  \va» 
a  forgery  to  he  considered  in  tlie  case,  'i'iiis  inoit^airc 
was  supposed  to  be  Hijjfued  hy  each  man  of  the  company 
and  eacli  man's  name  was  there,  lint  three  or  four  clainutd 
tliat  they  had  never  si^nied,  their  names  wore  spelled  wronjf. 
The  lawyer  told  Rowley  lie  was  safe  and  wanted  to  keep 
the  mortt>a,n(! ;  make  him  pay  it  and  take  a  receipt,  this 
was  law.  Rowh'y  asked  me  to  ir<)  with  iiim  and  sec  Mr. 
Hooper  that  evcnin<f.  We  were  admitted  into  Hooper's 
ai)artments  and  ivowley  told  him  his  business.  Hooper  at 
once  asked  for  the  mortirajre  and  ivowley  i»rou,<,dit  forth 
the  receipt,  at  which  Hooper,  Hyin<r  into  a  passion,  struck 
the  tai)le  with  iiis  list  and  swore  that  he  would  not  pay 
the  money  without  the  mort(fa,>,'e.  "  I  have  gut  it  all  ready 
for  you,"  he  said,  "  brintj^  me  the  niortfrajre  and  you  can 
have  it."  Rowley  softened  and  said  he  wouhl  see  what 
he  could  do,  so  we  took  our  leave  and  went  to  see  the 
lawjer,  who  told  Rowley  that  of  course  he  could  not  keep 
it  from  iiim  if  lie  wanted  it,  but  advised  him  to  gat  it 
photographed  first,  then  he  could  ha\e  it  and  get  his 
money. 

So  the  mortgage  was  photographed,  and  Rowley  went 
to  see  Hooper,  who  i)aid  him  his  money  and  tore  the  mort- 
gage all  into  little  l)its,  then  turning  to  Rowley  said: 
"  Now  you  can  tell  Mr.  Ryan  I  shall  sue  him  for  definition 
of  character,"  meaning,  of  course,  defamation  of  character. 
"  Hold  on  I  "  said  Rowley,  "  don't  i)ring  more  trouble  upon 
yourself  ;  there  is  a  photograph  of  the  mortgage  up  to  the 
lawyer's  ollice."  Hooper  said  no  more  and  Rowley  left 
him,  feeling  that  his  last  shot  told  and  so  matters  stood. 

Hooper  must  have  felt  pleasant  with  this  accusation  at 
his  door,  knowing  that  he  was  guilty  and  that  his  just 
deserts  would  put  him  behind  the  prison  bars.  He  was 
depending  upon  his  adversary's  leniency.     If  I  had  said, 


118 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    FIKLD8. 


"Have  FI<M»nt'r  arrested,"  lie  would  have  heeii  arrested  at 
once,  or  if  anv  of  the  others  had  called  for  his  arrest  it 
would  iiave  lieeii  done,  hut  we  kept  our  uiouths  closed,  as 
we  thought  «>f  Ills  youui;  wife  at  home, — we  could  not  hut 
respect  her  ami  her  feeliii«js  as  a  wife,  S(»  we  remained 
silent.  Did  he  I'ealize  that  these  men  he  had  called  liol)oes 
when  on  Ixvanl  the  Diver  now  stood  hetweeu  him  and 
stiites  prison  '.  So.  I  think  not.  At  any  rate,  when  we 
met  he  was  as  full  of  venom  as  ever,  tlioujifh  he  nnisthave 
felt  he  was  lieaten. 

Hooj)er  was  to  make  a  settlement  at  the  meeting  called 
for  the  next  afteniocm.  and  I  wondered  what  new  piece  of 
mischief  would  l»e  transacted.  In  the  morning  the  com- 
mittee were  to  meet  the  party  s[)oken  of  hy  the  hroker.  I 
felt  that  I  would  soon  have  a  rest,  whi(!h  I  needed  very 
nnich,  for  I  had  l*en  iiusy  ever  since  I  arrived,  traveling 
over  the  city  to  find  a  purchaser  for  our  general  outfit, — 
now  I  knew  that  we  had  succeeded,  and  we  arrived  at  the 
broker's  in  gotnl  tin>e  and  were  soon  standing  before  Cap- 
tain Johnson  to  hear  his  offer,  which  was  twenty-eight  hun- 
dred dollars.  We  refused.  Ho()i)er  was  there,  trying  to 
get  a  woixl  in  a.s  though  he  was  one  of  the  connnittee.  I 
would  not  accept  the  offer  and  left  the  office,  but  they 
came  after  me,  and  I  asked  if  Hooper  was  there,  if  he  was 
I  would  not  return,  so  they  put  him  out  of  the  way  some- 
whei-e,  and  I  faced  Captdi.  Johnson  again  and  refused  his 
twenty-eight  hundnjd  doliai'  offer.  I  again  left  the  office, 
with  the  hroker  at  my  1' ■  -'s,  telling  me  that  Johnson  would 
pay  the  three  thousar.d  <iollai-s,  and  he,  the  broker,  would 
give  in  one  hun«lred  of  his  [)ercentage,  and  we  would  re- 
ceive twenty-nine  hundi-ed  dollars  for  the  Diver,  clear  of 
the  brokerage.  This  I  agreed  to  and  next  morning  the 
papers  were  to  lie  made  out  and  the  money  paid. 

That  nioniing  we  sold  the  navigator's  kit,  receiving  nine- 
ty dollars  for  it,  this  Iteing  the  kit  that  Kounds  had  claimed 


I! 


ox   fiHOUR    AT    LAST.  lli» 

as  his  own,  but  when  we  got  into  [)()i*t  I  found  that  it  be- 
hinged  to  tlio  company  and  we  had  to  take  our  (chances  on 
selling  it,  !)Ut  it  brought  a  good  priee. 

This  is  the  way  things  had  been  going  on, — a  little 
seheine  in  evorytliing  there  was  to  sell.  Dalton  aj)propri- 
ated  our  old  junk,  j)robably  fifteen  or  twenty  dollars' 
worth,  and  never  paid  anything  into  the  company. 

'I'hat  afternoon  we  were  all  at  the  meeting,  which  came 
to  order  with  the  A(hniral  in  the  chair;  the  secretary  read 
the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  and  we  turned  to  new  busi- 
ness. "  Is  there  any  new  business  ? "  the  chairman  asked, 
and  iNIclvenna  arose,  trembling,  to  his  feet  and  claimed  he 
was  delegated  to  take  Hooper's  [)lace  in  the  settlement,  as 
he  was  the  party  who  had  arranged  the  papers.  He  was 
better  acciuainted  with  the  fding.  This  was  objected  to, 
as  Mj".  Hooper  was  present  and  he  was  the  man  avc  were 
settling  with  and  not  Mr.  Mclvenna,  so  Mr.  Hooper  came 
sulkily  forward,  took  the  papers  and  handed  them  over  to 
the  chair.  It  was  voted  to  a[)point  an  auditing  connnittee 
to  audit  the  bills,  which  were  cai'efuUy  arranged  and  filed 
to  deceive,  but  they  were  sifted  out  with  a  few  rejected 
and  some  murmuring  in  the  Hooper  faction. 

I  will  mention  one  article  on  an  itemized  account,  so 
this  trickery  of  Hooper's  can  be  better  understood.  This 
was  a  sailor's  pahn  that  Hooper  would  never  let  any  one 
use,  claiming  it  was  his,  but  here  it  was  put  down  in 
the  list  of  small  articles  for  the  company  to  pay  for.  It 
was  Hooper's  imlm  and  he  had  it  in  his  own  possession. 
I  said  to  Mr.  Hooper,  "  You  always  claimed  that  i)alm  was 
yours,  and  here  you  have  it  chai'ged  to  us."  His  stanmier- 
ing  reply  was  that  he  was  afraid  the  boys  would  lose  it  if 
they  knew  it  belonged  to  the  schooner. 

I  let  the  palm  question  drop,  and  they  went  on  reading 
the  accounts,  which  proved  to  be  a  rascally  made  up  lot, 
but  we  got  them  straiglitenad  out  at  last  and  adjourned 


120 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


the  meeting  until  the  Diver's  Inisiness  was  .settled.  I 
started  for  my  qiiartei-s  with  Mr.  Stewart  and  Mr.  May, 
who  roomed  in  tlie  same  iiouse.  He  did  not  tidk  mucli 
for  lie  knew  I  was  not  a  Hooper  man,  bnt  he  mu-it  have 
had  liis  eyes  opened  at  the  meeting,  althongh  he  never 
mentioned  it.  He  had  secured  work  in  a  ship  yard  where 
there  were  four  or  Kve  river  steaniei's  on  the  docks  and  re- 
ceived two  dollars  and  Hfty  cents  a  day.  He  «lid  not  know 
how  long  he  siiould  stay  there,  or  whether  he  should  go  to 
Alaska  or  not, 

]Mr.  Stew'irt  insisted  that  I  should  stay  over  niglit  with 
him,  as  he  had  a  fine  comfortalile  room,  and  I  accepted  his 
invitation.  He  did  not  know  mucli  al»out  the  business 
tliat  we  IumI  transacted  and  that  night  I  gave  him  an  ac- 
count of  all  proceedings  u[»  to  date.  Mr.  Stewart  heing 
lame  in  Itoth  legs,  could  not  get  around  as  often  as  he 
wished  and  Mr.  .May  wanted  to  send  him  home,  but  he 
was  stuliborn  and  determined  to  go  to  Alaska.  I  kiio""  we 
could  not  take  him,  for  he  was  quite  a  care  on  us  already, 
Imt  I  sai  I  nothing,  intending  to  wait  until  we  were  ready 
to  Ici've,  and  then  to  put  the  situation  I)efore  him,  think- 
ing that  jirol'ably  he  would  decide  to  go  home.  We  were 
\er\  careful  what  was  said,  and  discouraged  him  all  we 
could,  but  he  was  a  man  who  wou'd  not  give  up  easily  and 
I  often  wished  he  could  have  gone  with   us. 

The  next  morning  we  had  to  get  our  liaggage  out  of  the 
Diver,  as  she  woidd  be  taken  away  as  soon  as  she  was 
transferred  to  the  new  owner.  Mr.  Stewart  wished  me  to 
share  his  (juarters,  to  which  I  agreeci,  and  tiiat  morning 
we  walked  down  to  the  Diver  and  packed  up.  All  of  the 
rest  had  rooms  except  the  cook  and  Hounds.  Poor  Carliff 
was  mourning  around  over  the  lo.ss  of  ten  dollars  that  some 
one  had  taken  out  of  his  clothes  on  board  the  schooner. 

The  launches  wpre  still  down  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel 
anil  would  go  with  her.     It  was  a  case  of  cutting  off  tlie 


ox    SHOKK   AT    LAST. 


121 


nose  to  spite  the  face.  Some  of  the  men  would  not  turn 
a  hand  to  save  them,  thinking  they  wouhl  hnitsome  othei-s, 
and  so  the  launclies  were  lost ;  they  might  have  hionjrht  us 
two  or  tluee  hundred  doUai's,  now  they  were  given  away 
wi.;h  the  vessel. 

Mr.  Stewart  and  I  procured  a  team  and  went  with  our 
baggage  to  the  house,  then  I  hurried  hack  to  meet  the  rest 
of  the  connuittee,  and  we  proceeded  at  once  to  the  i)roker's. 
Here  we  had  to  wait  and  heard  that  Hooper  was  going  to 
collect  the  mone}"  fioni  the  chronome*er  man  for  the  navi- 
gation kit ;  as  we  had  not  Iteen  paid  for  it,  we  paid  him  a 
visit,  hut  not  finding  him  in,  left  orders  that  he  should  not 
pay  the  money  to  anybody  else,  nnd  returned  t»)  attend  the 
settlement.  We  found  Captain  Johnson  at  the  broker's 
an<l  when  our  agreement  was  made  secure,  he  took  us  to 
his  l)roker"s  and  paid  us  the  money  in  gold,  twenty-nine 
hundred  dollare. 

We  proceeded  at  once  to  the  bank  and  had  it  put  in  the 
safe,  then  after  we  had  talked  matters  over,  decided  to  di- 
vide the  money  at  the  evening's  meeting,  and  see  if  we 
could  get  it  all  settled  that  night,  so  we  had  to  draw  our 
money  again  as  the  banks  closed  early.  The  lawyer  gave 
us  the  use  of  his  safe,  and  we  took  turns  in  watching  un- 
til evening,  when  the  meeting  opened  in  due  lorm,  the  Ad- 
miral in  the  chair.  The  secretary  arose  and  stateil  that 
there  was  a  deficiency  of  one  hinidred  <lollai-s  in  Hooper's 
account;  everybody  saw  it  except  Ho  >per  and  Mclvenna, 
and  the  chair  suggested  that  each  mm  arise  and  give  his 
opinion.  Some  of  them  spoko  what  they  thought  or  claimed 
to,  but  there  were  a  few  on  the  fence  who  did  not  dare  to 
say  it. 

The  lawyer  (juestioned  Mclvenna,  who  declared  he  could 
not  see  it,  but  the  lawyer  told  him  it  was  because  he  did 
not  want  to.  The  majority  clamored  for  their  money, — 
figures  told  and  there  were  the  figures. 


122 


TO  THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


Hoojjer  ari>se  and  said  lie  was  not  satisfied  with  the  ac- 
eour<ts.  as  the  Liwver  had  reokoned  them,  and  asked  per- 
mission to  take  the  papera  and  get  a  huvyer  of  his  own  to 
figure  them  up.  He  tlaimed  tiiat  some  of  the  people  pres- 
ent wantetl  to  sknder  him.  Here  the  chair  rapped  onler, 
hut  we  granted  Mr.  Hooper's  request,  as  everything  else 
was  aqiuire  on  tlie  accounts,  to  tjike  the  papers  and  return 
them  next  «lay  to  our  lawyer;  then  it  was  voted  to  divide 
the  money  we  had  on  hand.  I  went  to  the  safe  and  hrought 
it  out  and  emptied  it  on  the  desk  in  front  of  the  secretary; 
Hoojier  hrouarht  in  his  reserve,  I  don't  rememher  how 
much,  and  we  divided  it.  gi sing  each  man  square  share, 
and  the  meeting  adjourned  for  the  last  time,  for  Hooper 
never  put  in  an  apj>earance  with  the  papers  and  was  never 
seen  l>y  any  of  iis  agair..  The  lawyer  had  a  cop}'  of  all 
the  pa|)ers.  however,  and  as  Hooper  was  not  forthcoming, 
we  let  it  jKiss.  until  one  of  the  hoys  got  a  list  of  our  names, 
agreeing  to  give  our  part  to  the  lawyer,  if  he  ever  got  it, 
and  I  turned  my  mind  to  otiier  husiness. 

( )ne  thing  was  to  get  Mr.  Stewart  home.  He  was  sick 
and  stuhlx>m.  and  as  we  were  ready  to  leave  Frisco  at  a 
moment's  warning,  I  thought  it  time  to  ask  him  what  he 
intendetl  to  do.  ••  Weil,  the  vessel  is  sold,"  said  I,  "  and  I 
wonder  what  I  will  do  next :  I  am  going  to  leave  Frisco 
and  I  may  get  a  chance  to  shij)  on  some  craft  going  up  to 
Alaska.  What  do  you  think  of  tloing,  Mr.  Stewart  i  " 
"  I  don't  know."  he  answereil,  "  I  iiave  not  thought.'' 
"  Vou  liad  Ijetter  go  home  with  liahady,"  said  I,  "li  goes 
at  once  or  as  soon  as  he  can  get  ready.  You  can  get  home 
very  chesip.  now.  He  has  ordered  a  ticket  ai\d  pays  thirty- 
five  dollars  for  it  to  ride  in  the  tourists'  car  over  the 
Canadian  Pacific  route."  "  That  is  cheap,"  he  said,  "  hut 
I  am  not  tlje  man  to  give  up  easy,  I  want  to  go  to  Alaska 
"Hut,  Mr.  Stewart."  said  I,  "yon  are  not  well  enougli ; 
y«tur  legs  will  never  carry  you  there."     "  They  will  laugh 


ON    SHORB   AT    LAST.  123 

at  me  at  lionie  because  I  turned  back,"  replied  he.  "  How 
can  they  laugh  at  you  when  you  go  home  a  sick  man  i  If 
I  was  "^  sick  as  you,  I  should  claim  I  had  excuse  enough 
to  carry  me  home,  but  you  see  I  am  well  and  have  got  to 
go  ahead,  until,  probably,  I  may  be  sick  like  you,  then  I 
shall  turn  back  and  think  it  is  all  right.  I  should  like  to 
be  going  home  with  you."  "  Well,  perhaps  Peter  won't 
want  an}'  company."  "  Oh,  yes,  he  will.  He  said  he 
wished  some  one  of  us  was  going  home  with  him  and  I 
told  him  perhaps  you  might  go."  "  Well,  I  will  go  down 
to  the  ticket  office  in  the  morning,  and  then  make  up  my 
mind." 

After  breakfa>L  we  went  down  to  the  ticket  oHice  and 
met  Petei',  and  took  Mr.  Stewart  in  and  bought  his  ticket 
and  booked  him  for  the  next  morning  at  ten  o'clock.  I 
was  pleased,  Mr.  Stewart  seemed  pleased,  and  I  am  sure 
all  the  boys  were  [jleased.  Mr.  Stewart  saitl  that  night  he 
was  sorry  to  leave,  i)ut  I  told  him  that  before  the  week 
ended  there  would  not  be  one  of  the  boys  left  in  the  city. 
"  Now,  what  would  you  do  here  all  alone,  for  we  have  not 
much  money  and  we  have  got  to  go  where  we  can  earn 
some.''  He  thought  it  liest  after  all  and  the  foolish  notions 
were  put  out  of  his  head. 

I  saw  Ltpage  that  night  and  arranged  *^o  stop  with  him 
the  rest  of  our  stay  in  the  citj',  and  next  morning  we  went 
to  see  Peter  and  Stewart  on  the  train.  We  told  them 
what  to  say  if  they  saw  any  of  our  friends  and  I  admit  I 
felt  a  little  homesick.  Mr.  Stewart  was  smiling  and  ap- 
peared liappy,  and  Peter  was  in  ecstacies,  so  delighted  was 
he  to  return  home,  i  did  not  wondev,  for  his  past  expe- 
rience, like  ours,  had  been  one  of  r-iisery. 

We  left  the  depot  as  the  trui!>  jfjirted  and  I  got  an  ex- 
pressman to  carry  my  baggage  to  Lepage's  rooms,  and  af- 
ter supper  we  went  up  to  see  lieeinan.  W^e  were  going  to 
have  a  meeting  and  hear  what  the  boys  had  to  say  about 


124 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


the  next  proceedings,  'i'he  Bartlett  brothers  were  there 
witli  l{ic'ker  and  CarlitT,  Rowley  was  in  the  liallway  sky- 
larkiiig  with  some  girls,  and  we  waited  for  Beenian  who 
oanie  in  and  (.-alU'd  the  meeting  to  order. 

'I'he  men  who  had  i)een  ronnd  the  city  reported  no 
chance  for  lis  to  get  u\)  north  from  t'risco  that  would  come 
within  the  limit  of  onr  means.  Heeman  said  he  had  a  let- 
ter from  Seattle  which  we  could  all  read:  that  was  all  he 
won  >  i'v  and  there  wasn't  much  information  or  encourage- 
ment 1)  ','tter. 

1  saw  III  Heeman  was  displeased  because  Carliff  was 
present,  for  he  was  not  in  with  us  in  the  Uglit,  and  I  knew 
he  didn't  want  iiim.  I  asked  Heeman  what  he  thought  of 
doing.  '•  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  am  going  to  Seattle,  you  can 
come  with  me,  if  yon  choose.  I  am  not  going  to  persuade 
any  of  you  but  you  must  use  your  own  judgment.  I  know 
nothing,  no  more  than  yon  have  read.  I  am  going  any- 
how.'' He  said  no  more  and  Carlilf  suggested  that  he  and 
I  visit  some  lirm  lie  knew  of  and  see  if  we  could  get  a 
chance  with  tliem ;  if  he  could  get  a  chance  to  talk  with 
them  he  felt  he  could  make  it  all  right  for  all  of  us,  and  I 
agreed  to  meet  him  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  at  the 
Call  building. 

The  meeting  adjourned  and  I  learned  that  Hooper,  Hoytt 
and  May,  Dalton,  Admiral  ami  the  Rowley  brothei-s,  had 
a  grul)  stiike  to  go  up  to  Cook's  Inlet  for  sixty-live  dollars 
a  man.  The  Hartletts  told  me  that  they  were  after  Hooper 
and  had  l)cen  to  his  lodging  place  i)ut  could  not  Hud  him; 
they  wante<l  to  make  him  settle  the  one  hundred  dollars, 
but  the  last  I  knew  of  the  case  he  had  succeeded  in  evad- 
ing them.  They  knew  the  schooner  he  was  going  on,  how- 
ever, and  took  turns  in  watching.  That  was  the  last  I 
heard  of  Hooper  for  which  1  felt  thankful. 

Lepage  and  I  went  to  our  lodging  and  were  scjon  sleep- 
ing our  cares  away  when  1   was  awakened  by  hearing  a 


ON    SHOKE   AT   LAST. 


125 


noise  outside  of  our  door.  I  thought  at  first  it  w.as  some 
late  lodger,  who  had  made  a  mistake  and  taken  our  room 
for  his,  so  I  turned  over  for  another  nai),  hut  the  knocking 
was  repeated.  Lepage  took  his  revolver  from  under  his 
pillow  and  sprang  out  of  hed,  inquiring  who  was  there. 
It  was  Kyan  and  Rowley,  who  told  us  to  pack  up  and  he 
ready  to  take  the  ten  o'clock  hoat,  the  "  Umatilla,"'  for 
Seattle.  They  could  tell  us  nothing,  except  that  if  we 
were  going  with  iieeman  to  take  that  hoat,  so  tliey  hurried 
awaj'  and  we  turned  in  to  have  an  hour  or  two  of  sleep  as 
it  was  ahout  two  o'clock  when  they  called. 

The  first  thing  we  did  next  morning  was  to  secure  our 
tickets,  then  look  after  i  r  !)aggage  and  afterwards  to  get 
some  hreakfast.  As  nine  o'clock  came  I  thouglit  of  poor 
Carliff  standing  on  the  curhstone  in  front  of  the  Call 
huilding,  waiting  for  nie.  He  may  he  waiting  there  yet, 
for  I  never  saw  him  afterwards.  We  joined  the  rest  of 
the  i)arty  on  l)oard  the  Umatilla  and  saw  the  Hartlett  l)oys 
on  the  wharf  waving  their  adieus  as  the  hig  steamer  swung 
out  from  the  jiier  and  steamed  away  for  Seattle. 

By  paying  a  dollar  and  fifty  cents  extra  we  got  a  room 
for  ourselves.  The  l^matilla  was  a  new  hoat,  huilt  sea- 
steamer  model,  with  all  the  modern  improvements,  hut  I 
heard  there  was  a  (lisap[»()intment  in  regard  to  her  sail- 
ing qualities,  thougli  she  was  a  good  sea  hoat.  We  sat 
and  watched  the  view  of  the  harhor  which  had  very  high 
hills  for  a  hackground,  and  a  few  islands, — Mare  Island 
heing  most  prominent,  for  there  Uncle  Sam  huilt  his  war- 
ships. 

X  strong,  disagreeahle  wind  was  hlowing,  and  we  had 
to  keep  in  shelter,  it  was  so  cold  when  we  reached  the 
oiien  sea ;  there  was  also  a  roll  from  the  ocean  coming  in, 
and  the  l)oat  l)egan  to  show  us  what  she  could  do  on  that 
kind  of  water.  Some  of  the  passengers  hegan  to  get  stirred 
up  a  hit,  and  as  she  went  snoiting  and  plunging  out  hy 


126 


TO  THK  ALASKAN  GOLD  FIELDS. 


the  (iolden  (iate  most  of  the  passengers  went  inside,  not 
caiinj;  to  remain  on  deck,  for  as  a  comber  would  wash  her 
side  a  dash  of  spray  wonhl  reacli  for  U8  on  tlie  hurricane 
deck,  although  we  tried  to  hide  hehind  tlie  smokestack, 
and  we  liad  to  go  below  or  get  wet.  Tiiis  kind  of  weather 
lield  out  until  we  arrived  at  Seattle.  Some  of  (uir  boys 
were  seasick  l)Ut  it  soon  wore  off. 

Kicker  was  with  us,  liaving  followed  without  an  invita- 
tion. Five  of  us  had  formed  a  company  and  Uicker  was 
not  one  of  that  number,  but  here  he  was,  and  we  should 
be  obliged  to  tell  iiiin  some  day  that  we  did  not  want  him, 
—an  un[)leasant  duty. 

The  weather  was  hazy  and  as  the  steamer  ran  from  Cape 
to  ('a[)c,  1  noticed  hundieds  of  seals  on  the  black  rocks 
along  the  coast. 

\Ve  were  travelling  second-class,  and  though  there  was 
plenty  to  eat  we  were  crowded  on  the  benches  l)y  a  rough- 
looking  lot  of  men,  prol)al)ly  most  of  them  laliorcrs  :  their 
clotlics  h\uig  on  tiiem  as  on  a  clothes  hanger,  l)ut  tiiey 
had  sharp  ell)ows  as  1  found  out  when  I  tried  to  push  my 
way  into  ilic  cabin  to  dinner  and  got  a  blow  under  the  ribs 
from  one  of  these  tall,  gaunt  individuals;  for  a  while  I 
thought  the  cattle  pen  had  broken  loose  and  I  was  being 
g(tred  by  the  horns  of  a  big  buck  steer  ;  after  that  I  always 
ke[)t  shy  of  the  t<dl  fellow  and  never  got  under  foot  again. 

Heeman  thought  he  woidd  like  to  see  the  iirst-class 
cal)in,  but  they  did  not  allow  second-class  peoi)le  to  intrude. 
He  said,  however,  that  he  would  see  it,  so  one  night  about 
eleven  o'clock,  he  woke  me  up  out  of  a  good  comfortable 
nap,  and  asked  if  I  wanted  something  to  eat.  I  replied 
that  I  did.  "Then  get  up,"  lie  said,  "and  follow  me."  1 
attired  myself  as  best  I  could  and  followed  him,  and  he 
took  me  along  until  we  came  to  a  pantry,  through  which  we 
passed.  A  [)antry-man  wanted  to  check  us,  but  we  walked 
by  him,  and  having  reached  the  dining  rooms,  sat  down  at 


TIIK    STKAMEK    I  \!  ATM.l.A    l«  INU    H'K    SF.ATTl.E. 


ON   SHORE   AT   LAST. 


127 


a  tal)le,  with  the  paiitry-nian  at  our  lieels.  ♦'Wliat  liave 
you  got  for  lunch '{  "  inquired  Heeuian,  with  the  air  of  a 
millionaire,  as  lie  looked  the  man  straight  in  the  eyes. 
"  I  can  give  you  hot  coft'ee,  apple  or  peaoh  i)ie,  or  hread, 
butter  and  cheese.  Hut,"  said  the  man,  as  his  voice  quav- 
ered, "do  you  gentlemen  hehmg  in  the  first-class '<  " 
"  Bnng  along  our  lunch,"  said  IJeeman,  while  I  looked  up 
from  a  papei'  I  was  reading  with  a  look  that  made  him  feel 
he  was  cjuito  impertinent.  Meeman  asked  him  what  busi- 
ness it  was  of  his,  our  money  was  [)aid,  so  bring  along  the 
lunch,  and  it  was  brought. 

Another  flunkey,  evidently  a  Spaniard,  then  put  in  an 
appearance  and  Biv;man  claimed  that  he  was  a  spy  and  we 
wanted  him,  for  we  were  detectives.  The  first  man  pleaded 
for  him,  telling  what  a  kind  fellow  he  was,  but  we  followed 
the  Spaniard  up  to  the  saloon  cabin,  which  was  elegantly 
furnished,  and  watched  him  until  he  was  through  with  his 
Avork,  when  we  went  down  into  the  dining-room  again.  It 
Avas  getting  on  near  to  eight  i)olls  and  I  heard  some  of  the 
oflicers  coming  below,  so  thought  I  would  get  out,  and 
that  was  the  last  T  saw  of  the  Spanish  spy. 

1  felt  a  great  relief  after  leaving  San  Francisco  and  in 
getting  away  from  the  Hooper  gang,  and  now  we  were  go- 
ing to  do  something  towards  getting  up  to  Alaska, — in 
fact,  we  were  on  our  way,  three  days  towards  Seattle.  The 
boat  stopped  at  Victoria,  Vancouver, — at  a  large  pier,  i)ut 
the  town  was  two  or  three  miles  away,  so  I  only  saw  it  as 
we  sailed  away, — a  few  church  spires  among  the  trees. 


ii 


cnAi»Ti-:i{  vrr. 

AIMMVAI,     AT     ITCiiyP     Sl>lM».  —  SKCl'ltK     I'ASSACK      I'OU 

ALASKA,    AM)   ITIMM ASK   (HI!   Ol'TKlTS. — SII(>UTA(iK 

Ol"     I'KOVISIONS     ON      l!oAI!l>     THK      llAVDN 

lll!(»\VN. —  l'i;(  II,IAI!ITIKS    OK    SOMK 

OF    TIIK    I'ASSKNOKUS. 


We  soon  iinived  in  I'uget  Sound  and  saw  Seattle  on 
the  left.  It  is  built  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  the  streets  run- 
ninjr  parallel  with  the  hill;  it  does  not  look  very  prepossess- 
ing from  the  water,  so  many  old,  weatlier-ljeaten  cabins 
greet  the  eye  as  yon  enter  the  harbor.  A  large  brick 
structure  was  on  the  highest  hill,  which  I  understood  was 
a  hotel.  l)Ut  they  had  susi)ended  work  on  it  on  account  of 
falling  short  in  their  finances.  The  most  prominent  vessel 
in  the  harbor  was  the  cutter  Rear, — painted  mouse  color  ; 
that  seemed  to  be  an  interesting  object  to  landsmen,  for  it 
was  war  time. 

The  Umatilla  landed  us  at  the  company's  wharf,  and  we 
went  in  search  of  a  lodging  place  which,  after  a  few  hours' 
hunting,  we  found  on  Union  street.  It  was  run  by  a  man 
named  Brown  who  kept  lodgers  in  his  own  house  also,  but 
this  was  an  f)ld  store  that  he  had  fitted  up  with  stalls,  and 
although  they  were  nothing  but  the  hard  wood,  Ave  found 
them  comfortable  and  clean.  Seattle  was  overflowing  with 
gold  seekers  ou  their  way  to  Alaska,  so  it  was  hard  to  get  a 
lodging.  We  had  a  spare  room  in  back  where  we  kept 
our  baggage  and  used  it  as  a  smoking-room.  Having  paid 
our  week  in  advance,  we  went  out  to  look  for  supper,  and 

(128) 


AKKlVAIi   AT    I'UGKT   SOUND. 


12!) 


later  took  a  stroll  to  see  the  eity.  In  tlie  business  part 
the  streets  were  throii^'efl  with  people:  there  were  hunly 
^nrdies  and  street  venders,  and  the  patent  medicine  man, 
— the  •,'reat  doetor  from  tlie  west  who  had  traveled  all  over 
Russia  at  the  risk  of  his  life  or  trans[)ortation  to  Silieria 
for  a  Nihilist,  to  gather  the  herhs  that  formed  tiiis  <;reat 
medicine  that  would  cure  everyhotly  ;  plenty  of  pick])ocketH 
also  mingled  in  amongst  the  crowd,  and  hesides,  nuiii  were 
held  up  at  the  point  of  the  [)istol  and  forced  tt)  deliver  up 
all  their  hard-earned  cash. 

We  got  tired  of  the  crowd  antl  went  home,  for  the  next 
day  we  must  tiud  out  how  we  were  going  to  get  to  Alaska. 
In  the  morning  we  went  down  to  the  water  front,  and  it 
was  a  great  sight:  it  seemed  as  if  everything  that  floated 
had  u|»  its  banner,  like  the  boy  elimbing  the  Alpine  heights, 
but  not  bearing  that  strange  device,  "  Excelsior,"  but  one 
stranger  still,  "  Alaska."  We  were  stopped  every  little 
while  by  a  man  witli  a  good  scheme  for  us  to  get  up  north, 
— a  ticket  on  some  of  the  many  crafts  lying  ahmg  the 
water  front, — but  we  would  not  tiilk  business  for  we  want- 
ed to  get  better  ac(juainted  and  find  the  right  party  to  talk 
with. 

We  strolled  down  to  Morand's  ship  yard  where  there 
were  fourteen  river  steamers  launciied,  and  lying  side  by 
side,  getting  ready  to  go  up  to  St.  Michaels.  Beenian  was 
acquainted  with  the  boss  painter,  a  very  intelligent  young 
man,  and  we  learned  a  good  many  points  from  him  concern- 
ing the  way  to  get  up  north.  We  could  get  a  chance  on 
the  Morand  boats,  but  he  did  not  consider  them  s''fe,  and 
neither  did  1,  for  they  were  open  at  both  ends  t'  .i  ferry 
boat.  He  told  us  that  one  of  these  boats  broke  her  hog 
chain  when  she  was  launched:  if  this  had  happened  at  sea 
she  would  have  broken  in  two. 

We  gave  u[i  all  thoughts  of  going  in  them  and  came 
back  to  the  wharf  and  looked  the  vessels  over.     I  saw  one 


130 


TO   THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    KIKLDS. 


or  t\v«)  al)le  liMikiii<r  tnies  loiKtinj;  for  St.  Miflmuls,  l)ut  tliov 
had  siieh  jjreat  <leck  loads  tliiit  I  know  tliev  iiiiist  Im  too 
lieavy  ami  unsafe,  tliou<rli  ci'owds of  people  wore  trusting; 
their  lives  mi  inaiiy  such  as  these,  Ixicause  they  were  i<r- 
iiontnt  i»f  the  sea  and  thouj.dit  they  eonhl  [)ile  onto  a  ves- 
sel half-mast  lii<rh  the  same  as  they  could  their  hay  carts 
at  home.  I  di«l  not  eare  to  risk  my  Hie  on  one  of  them  so 
we  went  up  town  and  looked  over  the  outfits  that  Idled  the 
store  windows. 

Tiieiv  were  many  articles  we  could  not  conceive  any  us(? 
for  i)ut  they  turned  out  to  l»e  all  rifrht  in  Alaska;  this 
dothinjr  apiH-ared  to  us  so  <i;roU!S(iue  and  antique  that  we 
ecndd  not  ivali/.e  that  some  day  we  would  need  it  hadly. 
Here  was  everythinsr  that  could  he  worn  in  a  country  like 
Alaska. — outlits  of  every  descrii)tion, — and  as  we  j^ot  tir'- 
of  hiokinir  throuifh  the  jrlass,  we  retired  to  our  room  > 
L'nion  street  and  tidked  the  matter  over.  We  had  not 
found  out  wiiat  it  would  cost  us  to  t^et  »ip  north,  hut  felt 
it  would  Ik*  wiliun  the  limit  of  our  means.  A  week  passed 
and  we  had  no  ohanee  to  get  away. 

IJeenmn  tohl  Iticker  that  we  had  all  in  our  party  we  de- 
siivd.  and  lie  had  U-tter  look  out  for  himself.  'I'his  he  did 
not  like  very  well,  l)Ut  took  his  trunk  and  ehest  of  tools 
and  left  the  lodging  and  I  saw  him  Imt  once  afterwards, 
on  the  street.  He  found  a  partner  and  was  going  to  Kot/e- 
Ime  Sound,  getting  four  dollars  a  day  from  the  time  he 
left  Seattle. 

There  wiis  a  large  ship  titting  out  for  St.  Michaels,  the 
Henry  Villiaixl  of  New  York,  and  we  went  on  l)oard  i»ut 
eould  leani  notliing.  as  the  charter  had  not  yet  l)een  signed  ; 
they  were  to  take  for  a  cargo  part  coal  and  some  lumher. 
Then  we  went  on  lK)ard  the  hanpie  Haydn  Brown,  a  large 
old-fashioned  ve.ssel.  safe  enough  to  go  to  any  part  of  the 
world  in,  and  here  we  met  the  owner,  Mr.  Humid) rey,  on 
the  quaiter,  who  greeted  us  with  smiles,  saying,  "  lioys, 


ARItlVAL    AT    rt'GKT   SOUND. 


181 


peddle  oiil  your  inoiiev  now,  licro  is  your  host  cliaiict'  lor 
Alaska."  "  How  niiicli  For  the  |nissiij,'t«  '.  "  "  Kilty  dolliirs 
lirst-elass  and  ten  dollars  n  ton  I'or  l'rei<,'lit.  Voncan't  beat 
that  anywheres,"  and  he  rattled  on  like  a  side  show  man 
at  a  eircns.  We  told  him  we  wanted  time  to  eonsiderand 
alter  looking-  over  the  hanpie  went  on  shore  ajjain. 

We  had  passed  a  littler  otlice  a  <rreat  many  times  and 
were  tempted  to  go  in  and  learn  what  kind  of  a  selu^ino 
they  had.  Their  runner  had  heeii  after  us  s(!venil  times 
hut  had  never  eaiight  us  and  now  the  time  had  come  whi'ii 
we  must  visit  them.  We  found  out  that  the  ship  Henry 
Villiard  was  eharttned  hy  this  lirm,  so  we  loitered  down 
on  the  wharf  and  there  met  tlieii'  at^ent,  who  asked  us  if 
we  were  lookin<r  for  a  chanee  tc  ^o  north.  We  told  him 
we  were,  and  he  said  that  he  could  give  us  a  good  lay.  if 
we  wanted  to  go  with  them  ;  they  eonid  put  us  up  to  Daw- 
son for  (me  hundred  and  twenty-live  dollars,  and  as  he 
talked  he  was  leading  us  into  the  oilice,  saying  "This  is 
the  place  where  you  will  learn  all  particulars." 

There  were  three  clerks  at  as  many  desks  and  they 
seemed  to  be  very  busy  seribbling,  in  fact  it  .seemed  to  be 
a  place  that  was  doing  a  large  amount  of  business.  Mr. 
Chase  was  the  liead  of  the  firm,  a  young,  good-looking 
man  with  very  ))leasing  address.  We  learned  here  that 
t'ha.se  had  what  they  called  a  knockdown  steamer  to  send 
lip  on  hoard  of  the  Henry  \'illiard,  that  is,  the  material  to 
buihl  a  boat,  cut  in  proper  lengths,  and  all  it  is  lu^cessarv 
to  do  when  yon  get  it  where  you  want  it,  is  to  })ut  it  to- 
gether with  bolts  and  nails,  caulk  and  paint,  and  yoursteam- 
boat  is  ready  to  laiuich  ;  thus  Chase  had  a  river  boat  for 
passengers  and  freight  on  the  Yukon. 

After  we  learned  all  we  could  there  we  walked  out,  but 
the  agent  was  waiting  for  ns  outside  and  soon  had  us  lis 
tening  to  him  as  he  unfolded  to  us  the  company's  private 
concerns  to  win  our  confidence.     We  asked  him  if  they 


132 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


dill  not  Miint  men  to  work  on  their  boat.  He  answered 
that  tiiey  di<l.  Well,  we  would  work  as  we  Avere  short  of 
money  and  wanted  to  iret  to  Dawson  as  cheapas  we  could. 
He  askeil  us  our  trades :  1  was  a  ship  eariienter,  the  rest 
were  steam  fitters,  and  Rowley  was  a  waiter.  They  wanted 
steam  fitters  very  l)ad  hut  he  could  not  tell  how  nuich  we 
would  have  to  pay  for  tl.is  privilej^e  of  workinjj  our  pas- 
saire,  1)U*  invited  us  hack  into  the  ofiice  to  see  Mr.  Chase 
an('  he  would  fix  it  for  us.  We  found  t.tatxVlr.  Chase  ha«l 
gone  out  hut  they  thoujrht  in  the  ottice  it  would  he  about 
eiffiitv  <lollars  a  man,  we  giviujj  them  an  estimation  of  how 
much  freiirht  we  would  have.  Mr.  Chase  would  not  l)e  in 
for  the  rest  of  the  <lay  so  we  '.eft  and  puslied  onr  way 
tluouorh  tlie  crowd  on  tlie  water  front, — elbowed  and  with 
<orns  crushed  :  some  burly  fellow  would  catch  ua  l)y  tlie 
shoulder  and  1) -ing  us  to  a  standstill,  although  the  crowd 
tried  to  pass  over  us  t)r  push  us  along:  a  handful  f)f  Alaska 
tacks  thrust  in  our  faces,  and  a  "conie  up  to  the  office 
with  me,"  was  the  last  we  could  hear  as  we  broke  away 
with  our  hand  on  our  money  pursr;  and  a  peep  to  see  that 
otir  watch  was  all  right,  only  to  1)6  nabbed  by  another 
hanler  still  to  get  away  from. 

The  gold  fever  was  raging  and  everyl)ody  seemed  to  l)e 
rusiiing  into  the  fire  to  l)e  suffocated  l)y  the  smoke  of  their 
flaming  desires.  I  met  men  from  every  stivte  in  the  Union, 
the  man  \v!io  is  honest  and  walks  into  the  gilded  trap,  and 
the  miMi  who  t'links  he  is  shi'ew<l  enough  not  to  l)e  caught, 
and  so  boldly  ilays  with  the  bait  and  finally  irets  hooked 
and  liauled  ir.  whei^e  he  can  flop  and  flounder  among  the 
rest  of  his  kind;  be  dies  hard  but  the  fisher  ex[tects  tiiat 
and  has  his  liook  baited  for  tiie  next  victim. 

We  were  in  witli  a  crowd  of  gohl  seekei-s,  and  although 
we  tried  to  Ihj  careful,  yet  we  must  trust  some  one. — why 
not  Chased  He  had  this  large  vessel  chartered,  there 
could  l)e  no  itunco   tliere.      We  made  up  our  minds  to  .see 


ARltlVAL  AT  PUGKT  SOUND. 


hiin  in  the  iiiornin<r  and  get  our  fare  down  a  little  olieaper. 
We  went  home  that  nii,dit  and  talked  the  Alaska  Imsiness 
all  over.  We  knew  the  Haydn  Hrown  was  a  good  lay,  l>ut 
it  was  onl.-  as  far  as  St.  Miohaels  :  Chase,  for  a  little  more 
money,  would  put  us  up  to  Dawson,  and  we  ai^reed  to  ac- 
cept Chase's  plan,  if  we  could  make  arranj^ements  within 
the  limits  of  our  cash,  which  was  dwindlinir  away  every 
day,  let  us  !«>  as  earefid  as  we  mijrht,  so  the  next  morning 
we  saw  the  ajrent  and  told  him  that  we  couhl  give  him 
seventy  doUai-s  a  man  and  do  the  work  on  their  river  boat. 
He  referred  us  to  Chase,  who  said  it  was  impossihle.  as 
eighty  dollars  was  the  lowest  Hgure  he  could  accept.  As 
we  went  out  we  were  met  hy  the  agent,  and  bartered  witii 
him  until  he  gave  in  and  accepte<l  our  otter,  so  hack  we 
went  into  the  office  and  got  our  tickets,  paying  our  cash. 
Accoi-ding  to  the  ticket  they  held  themselves  responsible 
for  nothing,  yet  we  felt  relieved  to  think  we  had  made  our 
way  out  clear  t<t  Dawson,  and  held  the  paper  that  woulil 
take  us  there. 

Now,  to  go  ahead  and  get  our  outfits  I  Some  of  tiie 
outfitters  had  printed  lists  of  what  a  man  needed  for 
wearing  aj)parel,  and  what  he  ought  to  take  to  eat.  We 
got  figures  on  some  of  these  thiiiirs,  and  ft)und  thev  ran 
\ty  our  limit,  and  we  must  curtail  a  little.  We  found  a 
grocery  store  kej)t  by  a  man  named  Healy,  who  had  a  list 
that  hit  us  about  right  ;  we  got  his  figures,  but  found  we 
must  look  over  the  list  and  leave  out  everything  that  we 
could  possildy  do  without,  and  then  we  accepted  his  list, 
and  the  goods  were  socm  l)eing  pack  'd  up  in  l)o.\es  and 
bags,  and  were  ready  for  shijtping  bciore  wo  were. 

A  change  had  been  made  as  regarded  our  passage.  The 
Henry  Villiard  had  thrown  up  her  charter,  as  Chase 
could  not  find  a  full  freight  for  her,  and  we  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  Haydn  Brown.  We  hurried  down  to  see 
Chase,  for  we  were  suspicious  and  watchful  at  every  turu 


134 


TO   THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


of  affairs.  Chase  was  not  in  and  I  felt  very  utieasy,  fear- 
ing that  it  would  slump  somewhere.  At  last  we  met  the 
agent,  who  told  us  all  about  it  :  it  seemed  the  engine  and 
lH>ilers  for  the  new  hoat  had  not  got  here  from  Chicago, 
where  they  were  l»eing  eonstructed  ;  they  were  expecting 
them  every  day.  hut  the  Henry  Villiard  folks  would  not 
wait,  ami  so  threw  up  the  charter.  The  Haydn  Hrown 
wouM  take  all  their  freight  and  passengers,  the  machinery 
would  l»e  shipjtetl  <»n  one  of  the  steam l)oats,  and  Mr. 
Cha.M?  would  Wring  the  engineer  with  him  on  the  same 
Ixiat.  Out  tickets,  he  said,  were  all  right  for  the  Haydn 
HrowD. 

We  went  on  lK>ard  the  banpie  and  showed  our  tickets 
to  numphrey.  who  said  they  were  all  right,  l)ut  he 
would  give  us  one  of  his  tickets,  and  we  could  choose  our 
l^erths  lietween  decks.  They  were  putting  up  more 
rooms,  with  six  l>erths  in  each,  and  we  went  down  and 
found  one  aUiut  ami<lships,  as  desirable  a  room  as  there 
was  on  iHKird.  We  got  our  bagirage  out  of  the  ship  and 
put  it  on  iKiard  the  banpie,  so  that  we  could  hold  our 
rtjoni.  for  jjeople  were  c()ming  on  hoard  fast  and  claiming 
that  they  had  the  jireference,  being  the  first  passengers, 
but  we  held  our  ground,  although  they  came  with  written 
onlers  from  Humi)hrey.  We  said  we  were  passen- 
gers, to«».  and  claime<l  our  rights  and  held  it.  We  found 
that  we  were  calle<l  the  Chase  gang. 

As  the  l«r«|ue  wjis  to  sail  on  the  fifteenth  of  May  we 
hadn't  much  time  to  get  the  rest  of  our  outfit.  Hyau 
ami  I  were  sent  to  liuy  the  hardware  and  camping  «)utfit, 
so  we  travelleil  all  over  the  city,  but  found  that  the 
st«»re  men  were  ver\  high,  until  at  last  we  found  a  place 
in  the  sul»url»s  where  we  purchased  all  of  our  hardware 
and  cooking  utensils  :  then  we  had  to  l)uy  tools  to  build 
a  iMKit.  and  nails,  besides  a  whipsaw  to  saw  out  Itoards,  an 
axe  and  hatchet,  and  one  hundred  [>ounds  of  nails,  dmir 


ARRIVAL   AT   PUOKT   SOUND. 


135 


hiiifres,  and  i)a(llocks,  and  a  Klondike  stove,  a  simple  con- 
structed thin<r,  ol>lf>ng-shai)e,  with  drnm-oven  on  toj),  and 
these  were  packed  at  once  to  l)c  sliii)ped  at  a  moment's 
notice.  Then  we  came  i)ack  and  met  the  other  three  and 
went  to  see  about  a  new  tent  that  we  could  have  made  and 
be  ready  next  day.  We  ordered  two  tents,  ten  by 
twelve,  with  three-feet  wall. 

We  spent  the  eveninir  in  tiiruriuiron  what  we  wanted  most 
to  wear,  and  the  next  day,  Itrijrht  and  early,  started  out 
to  buy  our  clothes;  after  jroinjrin  many  stores  we  boujrht 
our  !)lankets,  and  Kyan  and  I  were  after  a  i)air  of  pants. 

We  found  the  stores  full  of  out  of  towners  iroinir  to 
Alaska,  and  one  man  especially,  who  had  fallen  into  a 
trap,  was  now  <roin<r  to  have  thinirs  come  strai<.dit  or  know 
the  reason  why.  lie  was  a  tall,  lank,  country-lired  look- 
ing chap,  with  a  cartridge  belt  around  his  waist,  which  I 
saw  as  he  parted  his  coat  and  drew  a  large  Colt's  revolver, 
laying  it  on  the  showcase  l)ofore  the  proprietor :  he 
said,  '"•  I  want  to  liuy  some  clothes  :  now  I  am  not  hard 
to  suit,  l)ut  I  want  you  to  give  nic  what  is  right,"  and 
looking  the  pro^)rietor  straigli  i  the  eye,  and  clenching 
his  revolver  tightly  in  his  hand,  hv  .naid,  "•  If  you  cheat  I 
will  make  trouble  for  you.  "  The  proinietor  said  he 
would  use  him  right,  and  I  saw  that  his  lace  ^^as  ;i  shade 
paler.  This  man  had  Iteen  buncoed,  there  was  not  the 
least  doubt  in  my  mind,  and  the  poor  fellow  took  this 
method  to  get  what  was  right.  There  were  j)lenty  of  men 
from  the  middle  states,  green  from  the  farm,  good,  '  on- 
est,  warm-hearted  fellows,  who  had  fallen  into  the  trap 
and  lost  all  the  nioney  they  had  to  take  them  to  Alaska. 

Ryan  and  I  got  out  of  that  store,  as  we  did  not  care  to 
be  where  there  was  any  shooting.  We  found  a  place  i.i 
get  our  pants  and  tweiity  yards  of  nH)S(piito  netting,  be- 
sides hip  rubber  i)oots  and  moccasins,  aiul  a  number  of 
(►ther  things  that  we  would  lind  useful  up  north. 


186 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


That  was  about  all  we  did  that  day,  and  in  the  evening 
si)ent  a  few  minutes  in  watehing  tlie  styles.  There  were 
men.  in  all  kinds  of  garh,  from  a  Sioux  Indian  to  a  million- 
aire. We  iieard  that  Dewey  had  captured  Ahinila,  and 
rejoiced  witii  the  crowd  as  we  turned  home  to  read  our 
papers,  the  wonderful  Post  Intelligencer,  or  V.  I.  as  it  was 
commonly  called,  tiiattold  the  glittering  story  of  gold;  how 
a  man  could  go  up  to  Alaska  and  get  all  the  gold  he  wanted* 
wages  were  from  ten  to  lifteen  dollars  per  day,  and  even 
more  in  some  i)laces. 

We  read  these  glowujg  accounts  of  gold,  and  our  fever 
went  up  twenty-five  degrees,  and  we  felt  our  nerves  twitch 
and  twang,  "hurry,  hurry,  and  get  there  I"  We  smiled  at 
each  otlicr.  as  if  to  say,  '•  Hoys,  we  are  all  right,  we  are 
in  it,*"  and  we  spoke  of  those  we  had  left  l)ehind,  what  tliey 
had  missed,  Itui  it  served  them  right.  We  figured  over 
our  outfit,  to  sec  if  we  iiad  all  we  needed, — there  were 
gold  scales,  gold  pans  for  washing  out  tlie  grains  of  gold, 
l)icks  and  shovels  to  i)e  got  in  the  morning,  and  wlien 
morning  came  we  were  out  atten<liiig  to  husiness. 

We  ordered  our  goods  down  to  the  wharf  and  saw  them 
measured,  hut  the  Haydn  lirown  did  not  sail, —  it  was  put 
ort'  until  the  eighteenth,  so  we  had  a  chance  to  look  around 
us.  We  went  on  hoard  to  sec  the  people  we  were  to  sail 
with.  There  was  the  tall,  lank  lloosier,  on  whom  every- 
thing seemed  to  grow  long;  he  had  the  unfailahle  long 
hair  and  long  ca|p,  sonn  thing  of  the  Kh)ndike  pattern, 
yellow  in  color,  and  called  the  "  hlizzard  caj) ;"  his  clothes 
were  long,  and  his  feet  also,  which  were  encased  in  a  pair 
of  nmtlocks  ;  lie  wore  horsehiile  pants,  a  good  kind  iur 
Klondike  weatiier. 

I  also  noticed,  coming  on  board,  two  small  men  who 
looked  like  twins,  dressed  (juite natty;  they  wore  Klondike 
hats  and  their  heads  kept  going  niddle,  noddle,  as  though 
tiiere  was  a  loose  pulley  in  their  neci^s  somewhere  or  their 


AKRIVAL   AT   PUGET   SOUND. 


137 


heads  were  so  heavy  with  knowledge  that  they  couUl  not 
balance :  the}'  reminded  nie  of  an  (»ld  hat  on  a  pole  that 
the  farmera  ei'ect  to  scare  crows,  rocking  and  nodding  in 
the  wind.  We  named  these  men  the  knowledge  l)oxes, 
and  their  record  on  the  trip  proved  that  they  were  well 
chosen. 

There  was  the  Argonant  party  of  Chicago,  headed  In*  a 
woman,  and  they  had  the  tip,  knew  just  where  to  go  to  find 
the  gold ;  they  had  a  knock-down  steamer.  The  l-.ynn  and 
Alaska  Mining  C'om))any  also  had  a  steamer :  there  was  the 
AN'illiams  party  from  Texas  who  brought  their  boat  with 
them,  a  scow  with  some  new  kind  of  propeller  for  the 
river.  The  head  of  the  party  was  worth  a  million  and  his 
boat's  name  was  Lalla  Kookh  Collins,  with  old  Captain 
Whalen  for  her  navigator ;  she  was  already  on  the  whai-f 
and  was  to  be  placed  on  top  of  the  deckload,  and  one  or 
two  steam  launches  with  her. 

'inhere  were  thiee  hundred  passengei-s,  tinkci-s  and  tailors, 
barbers  and  sailors,  farmei's  and  cowitoys  and  langeis,  all 
ready  now  to  move  on,  but  the  old  barque  hung  very  close 
to  the  pier ;  she  was  slow  in  getting  away  and  slow  in  get- 
ting there,  for  the  day  was  put  off  for  sailing  until  the 
twenty-fifth  of  May ;  they  kept  piling  on  freight  nearly  up 
to  her  tops,  and  there  alway>>  seemed  to  be  room  for  more. 

We  had  settled  for  our  rooms  and  now  slept  on  board 
the  banpie.  There  was  nothing  more  of  interest  to  us  in 
Seattle;  we  went  on  sh(n'e  but  little,  and  wiien  tlie  day 
came  for  us  to  sail,  we  felt  delighted  with  the  prospects 
before  us.  There  were  four  lady  passengers,  l)esides  the 
mate's  wife,  and  the  steward  trying  hard  to  get  his  on 
board. 

We  left  the  wharf  with  an  immense  throng  cheering  us 
from  tlie  ))iers,  and  made  fast  to  the  channel  liuoy,  and  it 
was  here  the  steward  played  a  shrewd  game  to  get  his  wife 
on  board.     He  told  the  captain  he  would  not  go  without 


18$ 


TO   THK   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


her  and  the  captain  referred  him  to  Mr.  liuniplirey.  So 
the  steward  packed  up  and  went  on  shore  and  saw  Mr. 
Humphrey,  tellin<(  him  there  was  no  provision  made  for 
the  extra  i>assen<;crs  that  he  had  taken  from  tlie  Henry 
Villiard,  and  that  tlie  stores  would  he  iised  ui)  hefore  we 
got  to  Dutch  IIarl)or:  that  lie  would  see  the  proper  oiHcers 
and  enter  a  complaint.  This  was  the  truth,  for  the  (Jhase 
ganjjf  had  not  heen  provided  for,  so  Humphrey  <rave  the 
steward  a  ttiu  dollar  1)111  an<l  told  him  to  take  his  wife  with 
him  if  he  wished.  The  steward  told  me  he  threw  the  ten 
dollar  hill  back  at  him,  he  was  not  to  l)e  bribed  by  money, 
but  the  price  of  his  silence  was  j)ermitting  his  wife  to  join 
the  bariiue.  He  said  if  he  stayed  on  shore  it  would  not 
feed  the  iiasscngcis  any  better,  so  he  sent  his  wife  on  board 
and  soon  came  himself. 

The  passengers  felt  joyful  in  leaving  port,  not  knowing 
that  they  were  short  of  provisions,  and  the  tug  boat  came 
and  took  our  hawser  ahead  about  sixty  fathoms  out,  and 
we  were  soon  cutting  the  jaunty  waves  out  toward  the  old 
ocean.  Everybody  seemed  to  be  pre[)aring  for  the  usual 
ceremonies  for  the  annisement  of  old  Neptune,  and  as  we 
began  to  feel  the  swell  that  came  rolling  in,  some  looked 
pale  and  kcj)t  on  deck  while  others  went  to  their  rooms 
and  turned  in. 

'I'he  tow  boat  left  us  outside  of  the  ("ai)e  and  luider  all 
sail  the  Haydn  IJrown  began  to  roll  the  foam  away  from 
her  blunt  l)ows.  I  went  below,  as  it  was  getting  near  sup- 
per time,  and  the  long  deal  table  was  already  set  with  tin 
cups  and  plates,  and  the  second  cook  had  his  provender 
all  ready  to  place  on  the  table :  we  stood  up  along  each 
side  of  the  table  in  a  row  to  take  our  seats,  as  he  rattled 
an  old  tin  pan,— this  was  done  at  live-thirty  o'clock, — and 
the  rush  was  made,  elbowing  and  jamming  to  get  to  the 
first  tiible,  there  being  two  set  after  that.  We  sat  down 
to  eat  and  the  waiters  came  along,  calling  out  each  coui'se 


ARRIVAL   AT   PUGET   SOUND. 


139 


they  carried.  I  saw  we  were  not  getting  fed  in  the  same 
way  as  they  were  in  the  cal)in,  tlioujjh  we  were  entitled  to 
tlie  same  bill  of  fai^-,  hut  imtiiing  was  said,  for  we  were 
just  out  and  did  not  feel  like  finding  fault  with  what  we 
got  to  eat. 

I  went  on  deck  to  smoke  and  have  a  look  at  the  weather, 
and  I  saw  a  large  ship  in  the  otling,  that  they  told  me  was 
the  Henry  Villiard,  loaded  with  coal  for  some  coaling  sta- 
tion on  the  other  side  of  the  Pacific.  It  was  cold  on  deck, 
so  I  went  below  for  awhile,  where  a  few  of  the  passengers 
were  engaged  in  playing  cards,  anil  soon  went  to  my  room. 
In  the  next  one  to  oui-s  a  man  was  seasick,  as  bad  a  case 
as  I  ever  saw,  for  he  kept  it  up  to  the  end  of  the  passage. 
I  turned  in  for  a  nap  and  the  old  l>iir<|ue  soon  rocked  me 
to  sleep. 

Next  morning  there  were  very  few  passengers  at  break- 
fast ;  the  cooks  and  waiters  felt  jubilant  for  it  was  little 
work  for  them,  and  they  hoped  it  would  continue  to  the 
end  of  the  passage,  but  they  were  doomed  to  disapi)oint- 
ment,  for  fine  weather  set  in  and  the  passengei'S  flocked 
out  on  deck  where  the  pure  sea  breeze  fanned  their  pale 
faces,  and  sad  looks  were  changed  into  smiles ;  when 
they  sat  up  to  the  table  how  they  did  eat,  and  the  cooks 
and  waiters  worked  hanl  to  satisfy  their  appetites. 

The  ladies  came  out  in  pleasant  weather  to  promenade 
the  (juarter  deck,  and  the  dogs  were  let  loose  to  wander  at 
will  about  the  ship,  all  but  poor  Bruno,  a  large  Xewiound- 
laiid;  he  was  kejjt  under  strict  discipline  by  his  master, 
who,  as  I  understood,  was  a  schoolmaster  and  had  with 
him,  in  addition,  his  wife  and  boy ;  they  all  seemed  to  live 
under  this  rigid  disvi[)line,  for  you  could  hear  his  voice 
above  the  roar  of  the  sea,  commaniiing  either  the  boy  or 
liruno.  Everybod}-  was  remarking  that  they  would  never 
forget  that  dog's  name. 

One  day  I  saw  the  mate  and  two  sailoi-s  pass  along  aft 


140 


TO  THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


with  a  lantern,  and  bring  forth  two  stowaways,  who  were 
taken  before  the  captain ;  he  had  some  words  with  them, 
and  sent  them  up  to  the  main  top  for  the  rest  of  tlie  day, 
and  afterwards  made  them  serve  as  waitei-s.  They  after- 
wards fished  out  another  who  was  j)ut  to  work  in  tlie 
galley. 

There  was  trouble  brewing  among  the  i>assengers,  trou- 
ble for  all  concerned.  I  will  explain  the  sitiiation  as  near 
as  I  understood  it.  In  the  tii-st  place  it  was  agreed  that 
we  were  to  lie  fed  alike,  without  any  distinction,  from  the 
master  down,  but  this  they  failed  to  do;  the  big  beef  that 
hung  under  the  niainstaj'  was  all  gone,  and  we  had  had 
but  little  of  it ;  the  long  boat  on  top  of  the  forward  house 
was  full  of  cabbages,  carrots,  beets  and  turnips :  these  were 
fast  being  used  up,  and  we  got  l)Ut  little  of  them,  and 
as  we  came  down  to  the  canned  goods  tliere  was  a  short- 
age, so  much  so  that  we  only  got  but  very  little  of  them. 
These  canned  stores  were  what  Humphrey  failed  to  supply 
for  the  extra  passengers,  so  of  coui'se  the  drain  came  on 
the  flour. 

Vou  may  ask  us  what  we  did  eat.  Well,  we  got  stewed 
white  beans  and  pork, — these  beans  were  onh*  half  cooked, 
and  the  pork  was  too  raw  to  relish, — we  got  some  sliced 
salt  beef,  black  coffee,  and  the  tea  tasted  like  decayed 
vegetables,  with  a  light  dash  of  whiskey.  Of  course  the 
whiskey  could  not  lie  helped  !)}•  the  cooks,  as  our  water 
was  filled  in  old  whiskey  barrels,  and  the  longer  it  stjiyed 
in  them  the  stronger  it  got,  but  what  coidd  we  do  (  It  was 
all  we  had  to  drink,  and  we  would  pinch  our  noses  as  we 
swallowed  to  get  rid  of  the  taste,  but  it  stayed  in  the 
stomach,  and  we  all  liegan  to  get  tlie  look  and  smell  of  old 
topers.  One  thing  I  shall  never  forget,  for  it  was  served 
every  meal,  was  a  sticky  paste,  oat-meal  and  water,  that 
the  cook,  who  was  a  (ierman,  called  muss.  Whether  it 
was  the  right  name  or  an  error  in  the  pronunciation  I  can- 


ARRIVAL   AT    I'UGET   SOUND. 


141 


not  say,  but  all  the  waiters  culled  out  "  muss  "  as  they 
went  down  the  line,  and  we  called  it  nnisfi,  and  nniss  stuck 
to  us  like  glue;  we  used  a  little  molasses  on  it  to  make  it 
more  palatable,  and  choked  and  gasped  until  it  was  down, 
when  a  good  drink  of  l)lack  cotYee  washed  tlie  way  clear 
for  another  mouthful. 

The  two  knowledge  boxes  would  talk  fair  with  us  and 
then  carry  the  news  to  the  captain  of  all  the  grumbling 
that  was  done,  and  when  he  would  come  down  to  walk  by 
us  while  we  ate,  he  would  ask  iiow  we  were  getting  along, 
and  was  always  answered  In'  our  two  men  of  knowledge, 
"  All  right,  all  right,  captain,"  and  the  captain  would  hurry 
along  out  of  our  dining  room  as  fast  as  he  could,  so  no 
one  could  get  a  chance  to  tell  him  the  trutii.  He  was 
made  to  understand  that  the  Chase  gang  was  making  all 
of  the  mischief,  and  these  were  the  men  to  watch. 

One  day  the  knowledge  l)oxe8  suggested  to  the  crowd 
tliat  we  live  on  two  meals  a  day,  and  we  would  get  more 
variety  and  be  better  satisKed  ;  well,  we  thought,  we  will 
try  it  for  a  wiiile,  but  no  change  came  in  the  bill  of  fare. 
This  suggestion  of  theirs  was  i)ut  the  command  from  the 
captiiin,  for  we  were  short  of  provisions,  and  lie  did  not 
want  to  let  the  passengers  know,  so  took  this  method  to 
get  our  consent,  and  the  scheme  worked.  It  woidd  have 
been  better  to  have  told  the  passengei"s  the  circumstances 
as  they  were  than  to  keep  them  in  the  dark  and  liave  them 
grumi)ling  because  they  were  not  fed  better,  not  knowing 
tlie  cause,  and  of  course  blaming  the  steward  or  cooks. 

The  captain  thought  to  find  a  way  to  interest  them,  so 
appointed  every  man  a  watclunan,  each  one  to  take  iiis 
turn  in  watching,  to  guard  against  fire  and  any  depreda- 
tions that  might  be  committed.  I  think  some  of  the  pas- 
sengers felt  a  bit  nervous  as  they  saw  the  younger  ones 
skylarking  around  between  decks  and  singing  out  "  nuiss  " 
to  the  Cook  and  steward.     The   guard  against  fire  was  a 


142 


TO   TIIK    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLD8. 


good  idea,  for  idtliougli  smoking  was  fuibiddoii  between 
<lecks,  the  men  smoked  just  the  same,  tliere  ijeiiig  no  one 
to  check  tliem.  The  yoiuig  men  ('((inmitUHl  some  (leincda- 
tion  every  night,  and  it  was  charged  to  tiic  Chase  men, 
and  at  hist  we  were  called  the  chain  gang,  and  the  Kot- 
zehue  Sound  men  tried  to  lay  the  l)lame  ol  everything  on 
the  Chase  gang,  but  it  was  a  lew  of  the  young  men  of 
both  parties. 

("aptiiin  McCiure  remained  in  his  caijin  entertaining  the 
ladies  and  grew  fat,  while  discontent  was  brewing  among 
Ills  passengers  that  might  lead  to  serious  results,  for  there 
were  arms  and  anununition  in  plenty,  and  whiskey  could 
be  had.  J  think  it  was  this  that  tired  the  youths  iij)  to 
such  a  heat  that  they  felt  that  they  nnist  do  something  in 
the  way  of  retaliation  for  what  they  were  eniluring. 

One  night  tiiey  broke  into  the  cook's  stores,  whicii  was 
a  beef  barrel  with  a  padlock  on  it,  and  got  some  of  the 
cook's  private  stores ;  this,  of  course,  made  a  row,  and  it 
was  Liid  on  to  the  Chase  gang.  The  cook  said  he  would 
cook  no  more,  and  the  cai)tiun  passed  through,  looking 
quite  serious,  but  said  nothing,  and  hurried  back  to  his 
lady  friends  in  the  cal)in,  and  things  remained  just  the 
same.  The  old  cook  was  good  as  his  word  and  would 
cook  no  more  for  us,  but  we  did  not  wait  long,  for  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Harry  Campltell,  a  tidl,  good-natured  fel- 
low from  the  Keystone  State,  accepted  the  position,  and 
went  to  work.  There  were  bread  and  beans  left  out  for  a 
lunch,  the  bread  what  you  might  call  raw  dough.  >»ow  it 
was  the  baker  who  caught  it,  but  he  chumed  he  did  not 
have  an  oven  big  enougli  for  the  number  of  loaves  he  had 
to  bake,  so  some  set  too  long  before  he  could  put  them  in, 
and  besides,  he  had  many  pies  and  cakes  to  cook.  This 
work  he  did  in  the  lught,  when  the  cook  did  not  use  the 
stove,  so  we  toasted  his  bread,  and  with  l)utter  saved 
from  dinner,  and  molasses,  made  (juite  a  feed,  when  the 
Chase  gang  was  hungry  in  the  night. 


AURIVAI,    AT   PUGKT   SOUND. 


148 


W'v  liad  11  dense  fo^'  for  two  days,  and  sonu!  one  icportecl 
that  tlie  captiiin  had  lost  leckonint,'  and  did  in)t  know 
where  he  was.  A  saloon  was  opened  up  in  one  of  tlie 
steam  lannches,  the  man  1)U\  ini.'  the  rij^ht  to  sell.  1  think 
it  WHS  twenty-live  cents  a  ylass.  lint  he  did  not  sell  much, 
for  most  everyhody  had  a  little  store  of  his  own.  The 
Miatii's  and  slinvard's  wives  ha<l  a  fallinj,''  out,  and  after- 
wnd  the  steward  threw  ni)  his  hillet,  und  il  was  taken  liy 
liw  iiata  who  sold  the  whiskey,  hut  this  elian<;e  did  not 
afft-et  UK  any,  for  everythint^'  went  on  the  same. 

We  i^it  upon  tlie  forward  house  between  the  lioats  and 
at<t  tofkw  cabhajre  and  turnips  out  of  the  hint;-  hoat,  and 
sratAjrhl,  then  went  helow  to  see  what  tiie  eook  Jiad  for 
suj^jwrr,  and  stood  in  a  row  as  usual,  and  spotted  ourseat 
witlu  ihe  tin  eu])  turned  top  down  on  tlie  tuhle,  iKM'Vously 
w»^Mi<;  for  the  sound  of  the  gontr-  After  the  rush  those 
tlii;<t  vM're  the  (juiekest  <fot  seatjs,  and  in  some  eases  those 
tlirtl  were  stronsjjest  ;  after  the  struggle  the  vancjuished 
slunk  ,tway  until  the  next  table  was  set. 

'I'iiis  was  the  way  we  enjoyed  ourselves  day  afti  r  (hiy. 
1  iiad  to  laugh  at  a  little  .lew  who  claimed  to  he  ,i  >arber; 
he  had  tried  the  lii-st  rush  until  he  was  tired  ;  bein  a  very 
'"Hiuall  man,  he  was  jinshed  on  one  side  every  time,  -o  now 
*!e  patiently  waited  and  watehed  the  others,  and  lat,..;hiiig- 
ingly  said,  "Dey  like  .so  many  fire  horses  when  dey  scmnd 
zee  alarm." 

Ryan  got  aetjuainted  in  the  forecastle  and  ate  witu  the 
sailors.  Ifowley  was  sick  with  some  kind  of  internal 
trouble,  Leimge  played  arountl  nights  but  was  very  .sly, 
while  Jleeman  swelled  among  the  nabobs  to  get  points,  as 
he  said,  but  I  am  afraid  it  was  whiskey  he  was  after.  I 
strolled  on  deck  for  my  .smoke  and  generally  met  Mr.  Fair- 
ehilds  of  the  Lynn  i\:  .Vlaska  .Mining  Company, — a  very 
pleasant  man  to  talk  with,  but  given  to  l»orrowing  trouble 
when  there  was  none  to  be  had  any  other  vrny, —  and  Mr. 


144 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    (iOU)    KIKI.DS. 


Gi)o<l\viii.  Iiis  iHirtnor.  iilwayn  patient  and  ciidtiriii^.  I 
8|>t'iit  stmie  verv  jiK'usant  lioiii's  in  conversation  with  tliuni. 
We  woiiltl  get  under  the  lee  of  Noiue  of  the  hiuiielieH  ami 
look  (Hit  III!  tlie  \vat«T  to  seo  if  there  were  any  ships  in 
sight,  and  tohl  stones  of  onr  past  experiences.  Fairchilds 
was  a  forty-niner  an<l  iia<l  traveled  considtMaltly  on  the  sea, 
and  thus  we  wliiled  away  the  time,  with  notliinjif  to  inter- 
rupt us  but  tlie  schoolmaster  putting  poor  Hruno  through 
hjs  (laily  exercise.  This  caused  some  loud  and  threaten- 
ing abuse  on  |Kior  Kruno's  head,  and  of  course  the  boy 
was  in  for  a  sliare  of  the  same.  I  was.  told  that  when  he 
went  l>el<»w,  he  finished  up  by  blaming  his  poor  wife  forthe 
whole  busine&.s.  The  trouble  was,  the  dog  did  not  like  so 
much  whi-nkey  in  his  water,  and  would  not  drink,  so  |X)or 
Hruno  g«»t  sick  :  wiiiskey  was  the  trouble  in  that  family, 
not  excesosive  drinking  but  refusing  to  drink, —  yes,  whiskey 
is  an  awful  niischief  maker,  any  wa>'  you  have  a  mind  t«> 
take  it. 

The  stewanrs  wife  was  waiting  on  the  table  in  tlie  cabin 
and  the  stewanl  was  lying  it  <nit  in  his  room, — some  one 
reported  that  they  were  not  married,  but  1  <lid  not  listen 
to  these  flying  ruuioi-s  a.s  I  found  no  one  who  could  say  it 
was  true. 

My  turn  came  to  serve  on  police  duty,  the  badge  of  au- 
thority l*ing  a  star  ])in  worn  on  the  left  breast.  I  took 
my  jM>st  at  midnight  and  was  to  l)e  relieved  at  eight  o'clock 
next  morning.  I  found  a  man  burning  a  light  in  the  after 
end  of  the  vessel.  All  lights  out  at  ten  o'clock,  was  the 
rule  for  every  night,  so  I  went  to  investigate.  He  heard 
me  coming,  put  the  light  down  on  deck  and  jumped  into 
his  liertli.  but  I  had  him  spotted  and  asked  him  if  he  was 
burning  that  light.  He  proved  to  be  a  (ierman  and  under 
the  ciix-umsUinees  could  not  understand  what  I  said  as  the 
Ixtrque  was  rolling  (juite  heavily,  so  I  took  the  light  on 
deck  and  cautioned  him  against  a  lepetition  of  the  act. 


■ 


AKRIVAr.    AT    IMKIKT    SOUND. 


145 


[If  jrrowled  at  iiu!  in  Geniiaii  ami  wanted  the  li^rlit,  which 
I  refused  to  give  liiin.  lie  h)oke(l  very  wiekedly  at  me, 
!)Ut  I  took  it  away  and  pnt  it  t)nt.  The  watehnian  i)et'()re 
me  liad  allowed  him  to  have  it.  There  was  stowed  near 
the  (Jerman  a  lot  of  straw  mattresses  and  dry  pine  hnnher, 
Itnt  tills  was  the  way  the  watch  was  kept  i)y  many  men  who 
did  not  realize  or  think  what  a  ship  on  (ire  was  like,  with 
only  two  hoats  to  take  three  hundred  passengtns  away. 

A  few  days  after  I  had  served,  the  bad^'e  was  stolen  and 
was  never  found,  so  they  made  one  out  of  a  piece  of  tin 
which  answered  the  purpose  just  as  well.  We  were  near- 
ing  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  a  shari)  lookout  was  kept  for 
the  land.  Sailing  on  a  wild  (ioast  like  this,  with  no  light- 
house to  guide  you,  is  very  dangerous,  for  you  must  Hud 
the  i)ass  in  the  darkest  night  ur  thickest  fog. 

The  welc(»nie  cry  reached  our  ears  as  they  made  the  land, 
sometime  in  the  night.  I  went  on  deck  and  saw  high 
cliffs  frowning  down  on  us,  dark  and  grim,  and  I  looked 
ahead  and  saw  the  pass  through  which  we  must  go,  with  ' 
the  foam  and  spray  dashing  over  the  rocks  that  showed 
their  black  heads  out  of  the  water  at  each  receding  wave. 
The  wind  was  puft'y  and  we  had  our  topgallant  sails  in, 
and  the  old  baniue  was  cutting  a  great  ligiue  in  getting 
througli  this  pass,  for  the  current  was  with  us  and  we  soon 
got  through. 


(  ii\i'Ti:i{  vm. 

lltiiM   Din  II    IIAI!l!i»|;  T<»  sr.  MK  IIAI.I.s.  -    A   TKAMI'  <.Vi:u 
Tin:  MnlNTAINS.  —  l>(ilN<;SnN  l:i  )A  lilt  Til  K  liAIM/lK. — 

Ti;<t(  lii.i:    y   i:     riii:    <iiasi;    (.anc. —  I'.kkman 

DKCIhKS     TO    <;it     lloMK. — TIIK     (OMTANV 

i:i^iir<  i:i>    in  Tiii;i:r.. 


We  weiv  now  on  ihe  l>«'iiiiifSoa.  sixty  miles  from  Diitih 
Ilarlior.  wlieif  we  exite-*  teil  to  arrive  tiiat  day  it  tiie  wiml 
held.  We  lind  set  our  topjijallauts  aj,'aiii  and  were  making 
a  <4ooi|  lay  tor  jiort. 

I'liese   Aleutian    Islands  are   very    moiintainoiis.    tii-red 

'alon!,f;ind  makiiiLT  a  cliain  that  nearly  crosses   the    I'aeilii-. 

There  are  no  trees,  l»ut  the  !,n~ass  irrow     around    the   sides 

of  tiie  nionntains  and  in  the  valleys.  Init  the  seaeoast,^uIeh 

and  LTnlly.  was  a  line  of  lihiek  rlilfs. 

We  soon  maile  the  entrance  to  Dutch  llarltor  ami  had 
to  anchor  on  the  outside  on  account  of  the  wind  dyin<;out. 
As  sooi|  as  the  .inilior  was  down,  a  d<»/.eii  or  more  <_'"t  their 
hooks  aixl  lines  and  cauiriit  some  line  cod.  Diiti  h  llarlHtr 
w;is  well  |troteete<l  from  liiirh  wii!<ls  and  storms:  hii,di 
mountains  <,'ave  us  a  shelter  and  tiiore  was  ji  dry  iKiracross 
the  mouth,  with  a  j,'ood  channel  to  jiass  in,  which  hmke 
oil'  the  sea  eomiiiir  in  from   "  •riii;.'. 

Ahout  four  miles  fiiftlier  up  we  could  see  I'nalaska, 
with  its  old  Russian  church,  now  a  Catholic  mission.  I  n- 
alaska  was  considered  the  leading  town,  iiiv.rhoats  were 
lieiiM.r  linilt  there. 

i)ulch  llariior  iiad  a  store,  and   .six  or  seven   dwelling 

(146) 


PKOM    DUTCH    HARBOR   TO    ST.    MICHAKLS. 


147 


houses  and  a  hotel.  We  got  under  way  and  brought  the 
barque  inside  of  the  bar,  where  they  tried  Hsiiing  again, 
catching  many  that  were  not  fit  to  eat.  We  were  tohl  tliat 
all  the  fish  inside  of  the  bar  were  diseased  and  not  fit  to  eat, 
so  no  more  fish  were  caught.  Here  we  found  tliat  the 
captain  was  trying  to  raise  money  on  sliip  and  cargo  U^ 
buy  provisions,  but  the  merchants  would  not  accept  the 
bond  and  the  captain  was  hard  pushed.  He  was  trying 
to  hear  from  the  owner,  but  could  not,  and  there  we  lay, 
eating  up  what  little  we  did  have. 

One  day  three  of  us  went  on  siiore  for  a  tramp  over  the 
mountains,  taking  a  lunch  with  us.  We  walked  around 
the  seashore  for  a  short  distance,  finding  some  places  hard 
to  pass  as  the  watv.r  came  up  under  the  clifi",  and  finally 
had  to  leave  tiie  shore  and  get  npon  the  cliffs,  where  wc 
found  a  cosy  place  tfj  sit  and  view  the  mountiiin  scenery. 
After  we  had  eaten  our  lunch,  we  felt  tired,  for  we  hail 
been  on  the  bar<iue  sixteen  days  without  exercise,  l)Ut 
we  stiirted  for  the  highest  peak,  and  it  was  to  me  a 
weary  climb.  We  readied  the  top  and  liad  a  most  pleasing 
view  of  the  country ;  not  a  tree  was  to  be  seen,  l)Ut  there 
was  some  very  good  grazing  for  cows,  of  which  I  saw  half 
a  dozen.  iMountain  upon  moinitafn  arose  l)efore  us  and 
one  couhl  easily  get  lost  if  he  did  not  watch  his  way  very 
ch)sely.  A  few  similar  accidents  had  happened,  one  just 
l)efore  we  arrived.  I  could  st^e  from  the  top  of  these 
niountiiins  that  tlie  water  trailed  in  and  al)out  tiicir  liases, 
making  a  very  pictuies(|ue  scene.  Wc  saw  some  scald's 
lying  under  shelter  of  some  of  these  nooks. 

After  we  got  faiily  rested  we  began  the  descent,  which 
was  dangerous  in  some  places,  and  1  was  glad  to  get  to  the 
bottom.  On  our  descent  we  saw  an  eagle  and  as  I  had 
my  rifle,  I  gave  him  a  shot  but  he  flew  away,  and  just  then 
1  saw  a  man's  head  bolt  up  fmm  among  the  rocks,  very 
close  to  the  eagle  and  he  would  have  shot  him  l>ut  for  my 
interference. 


148 


TO   THE    ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


AVe  ofiiiie  down  to  tlic  pior  wliere  the  haniue's  bdiit 
lauded  to  take  on  a  siij)i)ly  of  watrr.  AI)OUt  this  time  of 
day,  just  lict'oro  the  supper  gouo-  iau<f,  many  of  the  passen- 
gevs  wautt'fl  to  1,^0  on  hoard,  and  the  ca})taiu  t,'runil)led,  as 
did  the  saih)rs,  as  we  tuiultleil  into  the  lioat  auioui,'  the 
water  hairels  and  eveiy  otlier  ('ouceivaI)h>  place  where  a 
man  eould  stand,  and  tlie  l>oat  was  iruuwaled  to  tlic  water. 
It  was  a  ease  of  sink  or  swim  with  tlie  erowd,  or  no  supper 
afterwar(h 

I'asseuoers  owuiuir  l>oats.  hiunclied  tliem  and  went  iu(k'- 
pendent  of  the  hanjue's  boat.  Some  irot  jol)s  on  steamers 
tliat  weic  huildiuir,  when  they  I'ouud  that  we  would  not 
leave  for  siune  time,  receiviiiy;  two  dollaiN  per  day  and 
fouiul  :  wlien  the  week  was  up  they  liad  to  jro  to  the  stcue 
and  taUe  trade,  for  there  was  no  money  in  Dutch  ihiriior. 
I  went  on  shore  to  see  how  the  hoys  were  makinji;  out.  for 
I  knew  some  of  them  knew  uothint;'  of  the  trade.  ( )ue  let 
himself  as  a  caulker,  and  was  workin^f  under  the  bottom  ; 
the  way  he  drove  oakum  was  a  caution,  for  that  was  all 
he  was  doinu-,  tiUiuur  the  seams  full  of  oakum  and  drivinif 
it  in.      If  thiit  boat  didn't  leak  I  will  lose  my  t^uess. 

I  will  state  here,  for  the  l)enelit  of  my  readei-s  who  don't 
unch'rstaiid  what  caulkinof  is,  that  it  is  a  trade  in  itself, 
and  a  man  who  has  not  had  a  little  experience  is  not  lit  to 
meddle  with  it.     Two  of  our  men  were  very  i^ood  caulkers. 

\Vc  will  now  turn  to  the  doings  on  board  of  the  barcpie. 
The  captain  iiad  raised  tlie  money  he  recpiired  from  some 
of  tiie  passeuirers,  and  boujrht  his  stores  and  was  haviii}^ 
tiieni  put  on  lioard.  Tlie  men  workint,'  on  shore  were  no- 
tified to  tpiit  work  ami  come  on  board,  for  we  would  sail 
the  next  morninjj,  haviufif  laiil  in  port  eleven  days.  The 
captain  claimed  as  the  reason  for  our  delay  tiiat  he  was 
waitinif  for  the  ice  to  leave  St.  Michaels,  hut  my  experi- 
ence since  then  sh()we<l  me  that  the  ice  wa.s  (»ut  of  St. 
Michaels    before   we   left   Seattle.       He    was  [)inched   for 


FROM   DUTCH    HAKBOU   TO   ST.    MICHAELS. 


149 


money  which,  of  course,  was  not  the  captain's  fault,  but 
the  owner's.  This  causoil  the  debiy,  niid  if  the  i)assenireis 
had  not  had  tlie  necessary  anioinit  on  han«l,  wc  would 
never  have  f^ot  out  of  that  port  on  board  the  liaydu 
Hrown. 

The  win<llass  was  manned  and  the  slack  chain  hove  in, 
then  the  top  sails  were  l()ose<l  and  sheeted  home,  then  the 
jibs  and  foresail,  and  as  the  mate  sanjf  (uit,  "  The  anchor 
is  a-weijrh,"  she  went  astern  on  a  quarter  circle,  the  fore 
toj)sail  was  filled,  tlie  jibs  set  to  pay  her  head  oft",  the  main 
yard  braced  up  with  the  fore-yard,  and  siie  jjathered  head- 
way and  passed  out  into  Herinir  Sea.  The  rest  of  the 
sails  were  set  and  with  a  fair  wind  the  old  l)ar(iue  carried 
a  bone  in  her  moutli  all  that  nijrht  and  next  day.  She 
seemed  to  enjoy  frettinj^  away  from  Dutch  Harbor  as  nuich 
as  we  did,  but  the  third  day  she  dropped  the  bone  and  lay 
becalnie<l  all  that  day  and  night.  The  captain  sounded 
and  <rot  thirty  fathoms. 

Some  of  the  ijassengei-s  who  had  some  brass  filinirs  sifted 
some  on  the  armour  of  the  lead  and  caused  a  great  excite- 
ment throughout  the  barque  when  it  was  reported  that 
gold  came  up  on  the  lead.  Yes,  there  it  was  on  the  ar- 
mour, plain  and  glittering.  What  a  gold  country  wc  were 
getting  into,  and  our  prospects  looked  l)righter  still.  I'er- 
liaps  some  of  our  readeis  who  don't  undei-stand  sea  phrases 
would  like  to  liave  the  armour  explained.  At  the  heavy 
end  of  the  lead  is  a  hole  al)out  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diam- 
eter and  an  inch  deep.  Tiiis  is  tilled  with  hard  soaj)  and 
is  called  the  armour,  for  that  heavy  end  reaches  Itdttoin 
Hi-st  and  whatever  is  there  it  will  bring  up,  unless  there 
are  i»ig  rocks,  in  which  case  ibe  soap  brings  up  an  im|)res- 
sion  of  them.  With  tiiis  the  ca/tdn  goes  to  the  chart, 
finds  the  depth  t)f  water  there,  and  with  a  book  of  direc- 
tions, linds  he  is  correct  if  the  bottom  tallies  with  the 
depth.     This  is  a  sure  method  to   navigate  iiy   in  thick 


loO 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIKLD8. 


weather.     Many    a   ship    has   been  h)st  hy  nen^lectiiig   to 
soiiiul,  and  many  lives  also. 

Well,  wo  arrived  al)out  the  last  of  June  at  St.  Michaels. 
1  was  disappointed,  for  I  thouffht  St.  Michaels  was  a  larger 
town,  whereas  in  reality  it  could  hardly  he  called  a  town, 
there  heinj^  but  few  hoiises  there  and  conseciuently  a  small 
number  of  residents.  Hut  there  is  as  much  money  passed 
throujifh  St.  Michaels  as  tliroujifh  New  York  city.  We  ar- 
rived on  Sunday  and  it  was  a  very  wet  day.  We  kept 
snutf  in  our  rooms,  not  venturinji;  on  deck  when  the  mate 
came  through  between  decks  shoutini;  at  the  top  of  his 
voice,  for  the  Chase  gang  to  get  in  the  l)oat  at  once  and  go 
ashore  with  their  l)aggage — captiiin's  orders.  This  put 
many  of  our  men  out  in  the  rain  without  shelter  or  food. 
We  had  freight  on  board  and  refused  to  go,  although  we 
were  threatened  witii  the  cutter's  crew.  I  laughed  at  the 
idea  of  Uncle  Sam  putting  men  on  shore  with  notliing  to 
eat.  We  said,  jtut  on  shore  our  provisions  and  tents  and 
we  will  be  glad  to  go,  i)ut  the  big  comi)auies  that  had  tlieir 
steamers  and  machinery  and  l)oiler  on  board  were  the  lirst 
to  be  waited  on,  and  our  goods  laid  there,  to  be  taken  out 
whenever  they  got  ready,  so  we  remained  on  l)oard. 

ihe  captain  came  on  board  one  night  and  said  he  had 
got  a  letter  from  Ilum[)hrey,  ordering  him  to  seize  and  hoUl 
everything  on  board  in  Ciiase's  name,  for  Chase's  i)usines8 
iiad  fallen  through  and  he  had  closed  iiis  ollice  and  skipped, 
with  al)out  one  hundred  and  ninety  men,  who  had  paid  him 


1 


assaire  moncv  t«)  Alaska,  aftt'r   bin 


'I'liis   was   the   last 


we  heard  of  Chase, 


•V  part   of  the  chain   gang   had   remained   on   board  in 
s|)ite   of  the    captain's   threats,  and  now   they  felt  them- 


selves at  his  mercy. 


There  were  Chases   master  builder. 


the  ski[>per,  mate,  and  quite  a  numl)er  of  car[)enters,  with- 
out any  i»rovision  whatever,  for  Chase  was  sui)pose<l  to 
have  everything  there  for  them  to  live  on,  l)Ut  now,  of 
course,  tiiere  was  nothing. 


FROM   DUTCH    HAKBOR   TO   ST.    MICHAKLS. 


151 


The  mate  came  down  l>2twt'en  decks  next  morning  with 
the  euptiiin's  orders  for  all  of  the  Chase  men  to  go  on 
shore,  or  ho  would  send  some  one  after  them.  The  men 
thought  it  was  their  only  coui-se,  and  although  it  was  rain- 
ing very  heavily,  they  went  down  tiie  ladder  into  the  lioat. 
There  was  one  old  man — a  siiip  carijenter — that  I  felt  very 
sorry  for.  I  found  him  almost  in  teai-s,  and  asked  him  the 
cause.  lie  said  he  was  all  alone,  and  the  Chase  bunoo  was 
a  loss  to  him  and  his  family,  which  he  had  left  at  Fort 
iilakeney,  where  he  had  formerly  worked  on  Ciiase's  i)oat, 
the  material  for  her  construction  having  been  taken 
from  that  ^ard.  Chase  had  called  for  a  certain  nund>er  of 
carpentei-s  to  go  to  St.  Michaels  to  Imild  the  craft,  and  he 
had  volunteei-e*!,  with  good  pay,  of  which  he  had  not  re- 
ceived a  cent,  and* was  now  alH)Ut  to  he  put  ashoie  in  the 
rain.  "  Have  you  no  tent/ "  I  askcil.  lie  replied  that  he 
had,  l»ut  it  was  down  among  tlie  freigiit,  and  no  one  would 
bother  to  get  it  for  him  ;  neither  would  they  allow  him  to 
find  it  tor  himself.  "  Have  you  any  outfit/"  I  next  asked, 
and  he  said  that  he  liad  alntut  thive  months"  provisions, 
but  even  that  was  foritidden  him.  "  Then  what  are  yon 
going  on  shore  for — they  can't  force  you  on  shore  without 
sending  your  provisions  with  you.  I  am  staying  on  board 
now.  Vou  stay  on  board,  an«l  don't  g<»  on  sliore  in  this 
rain,  for  it  rains  every  day  here  tiiis  time  of  year,  excei)t- 
ing  days  when  it  is  too  cold,  and  then  it  freezes."  !5nt 
the  old  man  would  not  heed  nie,  and  when  the  mate  yelled 
down  the  hatchway  for  tiie  men  to  push  along,  the  old  man 
started  up  the  ladder.  I  followe<l  close  to  him.  and  was 
alongside  of  the  captain  when  the  old  man  passed  tliro\igh 
the  gangway.  As  the  ca[itain  saw  me  standing  tiiere,  he 
said,  "  1  shall  have  to  get  the  cutter's  crew  to  get  this 
Chase  gang  out  of  the  shi|)."  If  he  looked  in  my  face 
and  saw  the  frown  I  gave  him  just  then,  he  would  know 
there  was  one  who  did  not  care  for  his  threat,  l)ut  as  I  did 


162 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


not  get  into  the  l)oat,  the  old  man  went(ht'vn  the  l)arque's 
sidi',  got  into  the  boat,  and  wiis  rowed  ashore. 

.My  eonii)any  fXot  togetlier  and  talked  matters  over.  As 
matters  stood  it  was  a  iianl  i)lo\v  on  us  as  well  as  the  rest. 
('ha.se  had  all  of  our  nione},  and  what  could  we  do  '.  We 
decided  we  M'ould  go  on  shore  every  day  and  see  what  the 
cliances  were.  I  did  not  feel  down-spirited — we  liad  a 
year's  supply  with  us  and  two  fjood  tt'nts,  and  i  didn't 
think  Umde  Sam  would  drive  us  oft"  the  earth. 

I  heard  no  more  threats  from  the  captain,  when  he 
found  out  that  none  of  the  men's  stores  were  in  Mr. 
C'iiase's  name.  Here  was  where  he  wasexi>ectinji;  to  make 
a  l»i«r  haul,  and  he  was  disappointed.  That  nif^ht,  when 
the  last  hoat  came  off,  the  second  mate  saw  the  oUl  man 
standinj;  at  the  corner  of  a  Ijuilding  trying  to  get  shelter 
from  the  rain.  He  reported  him  to  the  captain,  and  the 
captain  told  the  mate  to  bring  him  on  board,  which  was 
done.  He  was  drenched  to  the  skin,  and  was  glad  to  get 
back  i)etween  decks  and  get  on  some  dry  clothes.  He  re- 
mained with  us  until  his  freiglit  was  put  on  shore,  and 
then  he  went  along  with  it  Witli  the  exception  of  my 
company,  he  was  the  last  of  the  chain  gang. 

IJeeman  and  liyan  had  been  on  shore  at  different  times 
looking  for  a  chance  to  get  up  to  Dawson.  IJeeman  came 
on  board  one  evenin;>;  sick  and  weary.  He  had  seen  a 
dead  man  brought  down  from  Dawson,  and  got  cold  feet 
at  once.  That  evening  he  came  to  me  and  said  that  when 
he  began  to  look  matters  over  he  thought  he  had  l)ettergo 
back.  He  had  a  very  bad  cough,  and  besides,  his  lungs 
were  weak.  Jle  had  grown  worse  ever  since  leaving  Se- 
attle. This  I  knew  to  be  a  fact,  and  I  advised  him  to  go 
home,  for  he  would  never  come  out  of  the  mouth  of  that 
river  alive. 

I  learned  later  that  I  spoke  tiie  truth,  for  Heeman  was 
a  very  sick  man.  There  was  a  large  English  steamer  lying 


FKOM   DUTCH    HARBOR   TO   ST.  MICHAELS. 


153 


in  the  offing  that  would  take  him  down  to  Victoria  for 
tliirty  doUars.  This  was  very  cheap,  and  he  made  up  his 
iniiid  that  night  to  sell  liis  outfit  on  the  Haydn  Brown, 
take  the  money,  and  go  home.  So  lie  opened  up  a  sales- 
room the  next  day  and  .sold  all  he  liad — for  his  outfit  was 
a  fine  one.  lie  was  pleased  at  this,  and  going  on  shore 
he  engaged  his  bertii,  the  baker's  boat  carrying  his  bag- 
gage on  board  the  steamer  Garone. 

Ryan  went  over  to  see  iiim  off,  and  on  his  return  told 
me  that  he  tliought  there  was  a  chance  for  us  to  get  up 
the  river.  The  (iarone  was  discharging  her  cargo  into  a 
river  boat  to  go  up  to  Dawson  and  lie  tliought  we  could 
get  a  chance  to  go  on  her.  liiit  I  had  no  liopes  in  that 
direction.  My  idea  was  to  buy  a  Klondike  boat  large 
enough  to  carry  our  outfits  and  go  up  the  river  on  her, 
though  I  had  never  told  the  othei-s  of  my  plan  or  that  I 
thought  it  feasible.  I  wanted  to  get  our  freight  out  first 
and  then  proceed  with  my  i)lans.  .Mr.  Ryan  was  disap- 
pointed and  began  to  li)ok  about  for  himself.  Since  Bee- 
man  left  the  comijan}-  it  had  broken  uj).  Rowle}-  had 
drawn  out  and  thought  of  going  up  to  Kotzeiiue  sound, 
leaving  only  three  of  us  to  go  up  the  Yukon  out  of  the 
twenty  that  left  Lynn  nine  months  previous.  It  was  a 
fearful  falling  off,  but  we  were  determinetl  to  carry  out 
our  scheme,.anil  although  we  had  no  money  I  saw  my  way 
clear  to  get  up  the  river,  so  did  not  feel  uneasy,  but  kept 
my  thoughts  to  myself.  The  first  steward  and  his  wife 
were  ordered  on  shore  by  the  captain. 

The  mate  accused  the  steward  of  stealing  a  tuli  of  but- 
ler and  an  officer  came  on  board  with  a  warrant  and 
searched  poor  Jack's  room  but  found  nothing.  Then  Jack 
said  to  the  constable:  "  You  search  the  banpie  and  you 
will  find  many  cases  of  beer  and  whiskey  stowed  awa^-  in 
boxes  marked  groceries  for  McAlastei-.  This  information 
was  taken  tishore  and  brought  a  boat's  crew  from  the  cut- 


154 


TO  THE   ALAHKAN   GOLD   F1KLD8. 


ter.  Tliey  seized  a  lai'f,'e  lot  of  wot  fjroroiics,  l)\it  as  tliiTO 
had  been  no  attempt  nuide  to  land  it  tlicv  placed  it  in  the 
half-deck  and  pnt  a  seal  on  the  lock. 

Tiiat  ni<rlit  I  woke  np  and  heaxl  (|inle  a  rnnii>ns  ;  some 
were  sin^inj^,  some  tellinj;  sioiies,  and  as  I  lookcil  ont  of 
the  door  T  saw  what  1  am  soiry  to  write  that  all  were 
intoxicated  ;  yes,  some  were  injastly  drnnk  and  lay  on  the 
tal)le  and  iKMiches,  and  even  on  the  deck.  As  it  was  dark, 
I  don't  know  how  many  there  were,  hnt  i|uit«)  a  !,'ronp 
Of  course  I  wondered  who  had  lieen  ti'catin^f  so  freely,  foi- 
I  knew  that  the  majority  could  never  hii\c  l)<»ui,dit  it,  for 
they  had  no  money,  and  it  ost  two  dollars  a  pint  on  shore. 
I  went  hack  to  Ited  and  ai     ist  fell  asleep. 

Next  niorninL,''  the  usual  liustle  of  I'emovini,''  the  cai<,n) 
was  Ji'ninj,'  on,  when  the  cutter's  boat  came  alonj^side  a<j;ain 
for  the  olliceix  to  look  at  the  seal  and  they  found  it  broken, 
with  a  five-gallon  keg  of  whiskey  gone,  so,  of  course,  here 
was  more  troid)le.  'i'liey  returned  to  the  cutter  to  report 
and  came  back  with  an  armed  crew  to  search  the  barque. 
After  hunting  for  an  hour  they  found  the  keg,  but  no 
whiskey.  Then  the  oihcer  investigated  and  decided  that 
the  culprit  was  Harry  Canipl)ell,  who,  I  thiid<,  had  been 
censured  by  some  of  the  j)assengers  because  he  had  a  strong 
desire  for  <lrink  and  would  get  inlnxicated  whenever  he 
eimld.  He  was  now  found  in  that  condition,  so  as  he  was 
sui)[)osed  to  have  drank  the  most,  they  arrested  him  and 
put  on  the  irons,  he  going  with  them  like  a  lamb  to 
slaughter.  After  a  hearing,  he  was  locked  u|i  in  a  sort  of 
a  (.'age  they  had  for  that  j)urpose.  1  thought  it  too  bad. 
for  there  wasn't  any  doubt  in  my  mind  that  the  guilty 
[tarty  was  still  at  large,  and  so  it  proved,  for  I  was  lold, 
long  afterward,  that  Harry  was  not  the  one  who  broke  the 
seal. 

Harry's  trial  came  off,  and  as  nothing  was  [troved  against 
him  they  brought  him  on  board  again.     He  was  adopted 


KKOM    DrT(m    HAKHOU   TO   ST.    MKIHAICLS. 


155 


Ity  II  mail  imiiu'd  Dixitii  wlio,  with  his  son,  was  f^oiiijf  as 
far  an  Cape  Noiiu'.  This  was  lucky  for  Harry,  for  he  had 
no  money  and  liardly  knew  what  ho  would  do.  The  cook- 
ing lie  had  done  paid  his  passaj,'c,  hut  afttu'  ihe  paNsen{,n'is 
left  lu!  had  no  position  on  hoanl  the  hanpie. 

On  Sunday  the  sailors  got  leave  to  take  the  hanpie's 
hoat  and  go  on  hoard  tlu;  (iarone,  Ryan  having  a  chance 
to  g(»  with  iIkmm  to  see  licemaii.  There  was  an  open  har 
on  hoard  of  the  (iaront;  and  1  think  that  is  what  drew 
the  sailors.  When  they  returned  that  night  Uyan  .said  he 
had  seen  tlie  eaptain  of  the  Kock  Island,  the  hoat  that  was 
taking  the  (Jaronc's  freight  up  the  river  to  Dawson,  and 
if  I  would  aj^ree  to  it  he  could  tret  us  a  chance  on  her 
with  our  freiglit.  I  was  suspicious  of  everyhody  hy  this 
time  and  was  afraid  there  might  he  some  scheme  to  steal 
our  freight,  hut  at  last  I  consented  ami  we  |ilanned  to  get 
a  l)oat  and  go  on  hoard  early  the  next  morning  hefort;  the 
captiun  went  on  shore.  Lepage  and  l{yan  went  on  Ixiard 
and  I  remained  on  the  harque. 

There  was  one  more  that  helouged  to  the  chain  gang, 
and  that  was  Mrs.  Dewey.  Although  not  accpiainted  with 
lier  I  often  was  near  enough  to  overhear  her  conversation 
with  other  men,  and  as  she  spoke  very  loud,  everyhody 
eouhl  hear  if  they  were  int«rest<'<l  to  listiui.  She  was  a 
hvrge  woman  and  despised  men  for  some  reason  known  to 
herself.  Perhajis  it  was  hecause  she  had  no  attractions, 
for  if  she  had  depended  on  her  heauty  to  reacdi  Klondike 
she  coidd  never  have  got  outside  of  her  garden  fence,  hut 
she  could  talk  and  scold  in  good  sluipe.  She  had  a  mania 
for  talking  against  our  President  and  senators  and  claimed 
to  have  lost  a  plantation  in  Mexico  through  them.  The 
Mexiean  president,  Diaz,  she  called  an  assassin  :  and  in 
fact,  they  were  all  assassins. 

I  made  up  my  nund  that  she  was  a  little   gone,  as  she 
would  never  have   started   for   Klondike  aUme   with   the 


io»; 


TO   Tin:    ALASKAN   OOLD    KIICLDS. 


hirjje  aiiKiiiiit  <»f  fn-ij^lil  she  took  jiIoiilt  with  licr.  Slir  ha<l 
jKiiil  Chasf  «.'»<Mi,  f'iL'i«:lit  iiioiit'v,  lit'si(h-s  «!';")(►  for  liiT  pas- 
Mifsv,  and  us  he  had  Itrokcn  t'liith  with  Uvv  I  did  not  woii- 
tler  at  her  bating  nu'ii— and  vet  she  liked  to  talk  with 
them.  Shf  lia<l  more  nioiii'V  to  hisc  and  sh(>  wanted  some 
one  to  Hml  her  a  ciiance  to  lose  it. 

Uyan  and  Lepaire  letnrned  with  the  joyful  news  that 
the  Koek  Island  wonhl  tid\e  ns  and  our  frei^dit  n\>  as  tar 
a»  tlie  mouth  of  the  !vo\  uknk  river,  which  we  had  decided 
U|Min  a.s  our  destination.  We  wtMC  to  work  onr  passaj^e, 
and  the  eapuiin  wanted  us  to  com*!  on  hoard  the  next  day, 
for  thev  were  short  of  help.  This  was  <;ood  news,  so  we 
got  lesive  to  pick  out  our  frei<rht  that  night  nnd  have  it 
where  it  could  be  put  in  the  hanpie's  hoat  in  the  niorninir. 

Mrs.  Dewev  called  |{yan  and  in(|nired  ahout  the  chance 
he  liad  <;<)t.  iuskinir  him  lo  intercede  for  her.  K\an  t4ild 
lier  he  did  not  think  there  was  any  chance  for  her,  and  at 
that  slie  was  terrihly  i)nt  out  with  him,  and  added  him  on 
her  list  «»f  jussiuisins.  as  she  was  wont  to  do  with  those  who 
refn.sed  to  do  her  hiilding. 

We  dill  not  lose  any  slcej)  over  it,  however,  and  that 
ni<rht  we  went  ilown  nit<i  the  lower  hold,  with  a  j^'entleman 
to  »ee  fair  play,  and  divided  up  with  Rowley.  We  had 
onr  stores  piled  near  the  side  port,  where  it  could  lie  easily 
hamiled.  and  turned  in.  Kowlcy  had  made  up  his  luind 
tiuit  h**  wouKl  i^o  to  Kot/ehue  Sound. 

Next  nioniin<r  we  put  our  freight  on  the  ship's  lM>at,  and 
I>e|»ajje  an«l  I  went  on  shore  to  l>uy  a  Ixiat  to  take  along 
with  us.  It  was  the  lirsl  time  I  had  landed,  so  I  went 
along  to  see  the  si<flits.  'I'lierc  was  iiut  one  street,  that  Ite- 
g:tn  in  mud  and  endcil  in  mud,  passing  through  a  iiunch  of 
hoiLses  :  the  |M»st  otiice,  a  hotel,  and  the  military  Uirraeks 
were  the  notable  buildings.  1  believe  there  was  also  a 
church.  We  went  along  among  the  tents  where  some  of 
the  chain  giing  lived,  and  saw  (juite  a  lot  of  boats  for  sale 


PUOM   I)UT(!ir    MAHIMIH   TO   fIT.    MUMFAKLS. 


1  "  ** 


tliat  liixl   jiiHt  roinc  down  llic  ^'iikoii  ;   lnit  tlicrc   Wiis  ii(>ii(> 
t<>  Niiit  iiH,  HO  we  (lid  imt  Inn .     Some  uf  oiir  i 


iit'li   were    ill 


pretty  <l('s|p('nitc  (•irciiinstiiiKi'M,  liviii;,'  on  tlic  cliiirity  ol" 
tlioso  Unit  liiul  Itiit  little,  and  a  crisis  must  come  verv  soon. 
What  were  tliey  to  do  '.  Tiiere  was  no  work  there  for 
tliem,  iiotwitlistandiiiir  tlie  rejiort  in  Seattle  that  tliey 
could  find  [lieiity  to  do  at  ten  dollars  pur  day. 

It  was  (piite  a  joli  to  lind  fuel  to  eook  with,  tor  then^ 
was  no  drit'l-wdod  lyiiiL,'  aloi;;,'  the  shore.  I  never  learned 
wlieiv  they  jfot  their  fuel.  We  went  idon^r  hack  thidnt;h 
the  Haine  avenue,  and  followed  aloiii(  up  to  where  some 
Indians  lived,  hut  they  had  nothing  hut  skin  boats,  so  wu 
could  not  trade  with  them. 

We  eaiiie  hack  to  our  own  boat  and  found  the  sliip's 
haker  there  waitinjf  for  us.  We  rowed  alonj,'  the  shore 
and  saw  iiu-n  wm'kiii;,'  on  the  "  knock  down  "  steamers, 
putting,'  them  to;i[ether.  One  oy  two  were  iron  boats.  We 
saw  the  Lalla  Kookh  Collins  and  Captain  Whalen  busy 
buildiuif  to  ,1,'et  up  the  river.  I'liUiiij,'  off  to  the  banpie 
the  baker  put  his  jii)  and  mainsail  on  the  boat,  and  we  bade 
j(ood-liy  to  Uowley  and  steered  for  the  Ilock  Island. 

Wlieii  we  jrot  to  the  Hock  Island  we  found  the  captain 
of  the  banpie  there  with  Mrs.  Dewey,  lie  had  broujfht 
her  over  in  the  steam  launch  and  took  her  to  the  captain 
to  get  her  a  passage  up  the  river.  The  ca[)tuin  of  the 
Uoek  Island  declined  to  take  her,  as  he  had  no  room  for 
her  freight,  so  she  gave  him  quite  a  dressing  down  and 
said  he  would  take  a  lot  of  lazy  hoodlums   (meaning  us), 

le  captain 


but  would  not  assist 


a  i)oor.  lone   woman. 


Tl 


claimed  he  wanted  us  for  our  work,  but  he  could  not  take 
her,  so  she  mved  in  her  disappointment  and  eon.sidered  him 
the  worst  assassin  she  had  met  yel.  Captain  MeClure 
dragged  her  away  to  the  launch,  which  was  soon  juilling 
its  way  back  to  the  baniue,  and  so  we  got  rid  of  Mih,  Dewey 
forever. 


r 


ciiAi'T!:i{  r\. 

I  I'     TI!K     YIKON.  -   \VK      \V(ii:K     oil;      I'ASSAfiK     To     TIIK 

Mol  Til    OK    TIM;    KoVrKl'K.  — I.ANh    AM>     I'KoriKK 

A    lloAI.  —  tMN   A  «;ArNTI,KT  oK  .Mos<.irnoKS.  - 

l>IKKirri/nKS     IN     NA>  KIATIoN. — coN- 

vI"Ki;ki>  itv   i;  A  Pins. 


Oiir  f\it  from  the  ItiiniUf  was  \vi\  sikMcii.  :im<1  wc  l«'lt 
no  trail  iM'liimI  us.  Our  many  accjuaintniici-s  matlt-  ini|ui- 
ik's.  Iiiit  IK)  one  (  oiild  t<-Il  ilit-m  alutiit  lis.  Our  ilepartiiit- 
was  a  mystfiy.  Now  tliis  was  tlir  ciiiKlitiiiii  lliat  was 
a<rr«'c<|  til  (III  tiii-  Itoi-k  Island.  Itvaii  liad  si-en  tlif  i-a|ttaiii 
and  had  aski'd  him  tm-  a  i-haiii'(>  tm  thivf  of  iis.  trlliiiir 
liim  itiir  (•iifiimstanct's  and  wlicu'  wt-  waiitid  t'>  irn.  Il<- 
Msktd  it  we  had  aiivthinif  id  \aliu'  lirsiiU's  niii  |irii\  i«.iiiii>. 
iiyaii  tiild  him  that  in-  had  :■  violin  liiat  he  wiiiiid  n\  illiiiirly 
Uivc  it  till-  ra|itain  wmiid  taki'  it,  Iml  the  iatti-i'  s.iid  In* 
would  not  taki-  thr  last  thinu  a  man  owned,  so  li*'  went  !<• 
st'f  til*-  |MM'si-r,  taking'  Uyan  vvith  him.  and  atlrr  talking; 
the  mattei  o\iT,  thi-y  a«;n'»-d  to  taki-  iis,  wi-  a;;iveiiij;  to 
pay  >':'.lHl  a|ii»'re  it    wi-  i'nniid  any  ,t,'iild. 

W'lun  I  sti-|i|K-d  ID:  lit-rk  I  loiind  |{y»ii  at  work  liaiid- 
lin;.,'  tiriixhl.  <  Mir  oinlils  weiv  all  on  lioaid  and  -wnvi-d. 
so  J  ir|iort<-d  til  the  matt-.  Mr.  llardail,  who  >i-t  iid'  to 
work.  Wt-  had  Imm-ii  mo  Ioii^  w  ithoiit  work  it  i-aini-  liMrd 
on  us.  W'r  wt-if  <;i\i'ii  a  room  aiiioni;  tin-  iist  of  the 
passe  I  ly^- IN,  fi'i-iiiij,'  tliat  we  had  Ikm  ii  hi-l|M-d  liy  th.it  ;;reat 
(  hnniiiiitent  who  moves  in  I'lVstt^rv,  and  thankful  for  His 
timely  uid. 

058) 


Tllr    lliKk    ISIJt:<l>    1H«USI.    >.l.    Mil  II  \K  IS    I  OR     nil     \IK...S. 


UP   THE   YUKON. 


159 


Heeinaii,  who  caiiu'  on  lioanl  to  set;  us  after  wc  liad 
stoppod  work,  felt  joyful  to  tliiiik  that  he  was  .1,'oiiig  honit'. 
lie  hade  us  <.roo<l-l»y  that  nii^ht,  for  next  iiioriiiuij;  wc  were 
to  sail  for  tlie  Yukon,  (icttinj,'  underway  on  a  steanicr 
vas  a  siuiill  joli ;  eastin^^  oil'  the  hreast  lines  and  hackiuij 
on  the  sheer  line  swin<,'s  her  hea«l  ort",  ami  then,  as  sho 
steams  ahead,  the  lines  are  hauled  in  and  the  Itoat  is  away. 
.\s  we  drew  away  from  the  (iaroiu;  the  (•row<l  on  deck 
cheereii  us  lustily,  and  soon  wc  lost  si^dit  of  St.  .Michaels 
as  we  |»lun<fed  into  a  fot^  hank.  The  fo<f  whistle  was  kejit 
l)l()win;;,  makinir  its  disinal  music,  and  tin*  dark  fo<;.  al- 
most a  rain,  made  thiuiis  appear  iniseraldc. 

I  t'oinid  th.'it  the  iriate.  Mr.  IIard:ill,  had  taken  a  dislike 
to  me  ;  in  fact,  he  diil  not  love  any  of  us.  lie  kept  us 
earryiuii;  coal  to  tiie  lire-room,  the  coal  heini;  put  up  in 
sacks  weiL'hiui.'  ahout  one  hundred  an<l  lil'ty  pounds  each, 
and  was  piled  alon^r  the  outsitle  iruard  of  the  hoat  that  lay 
next  to  lln'  Carone.  .\ll  the  tilth  from  hci-  was  empfit'd 
on  these  sjicks.  and  we  musl  ctiiiy  one  t)l"  these  sacks 
alone,  w  itii  all  the  slime  and  j.'r«'ase  liesides.  I  iioiicetl 
that  none  of  the  re<rular  deck  han<ls  touched  this  coal  <m' 
any  other  heavy  wei<;ht,  i»ut  the  mate  never  knocked  us 
oil  from  our  work,  and  kept  us  humming'  all  day,  and  all 
ni<.'hl.  too.  We  finally  stole  away  to  oui-  ipiarters,  how- 
ever, and  weri!  allowed  to  renniin  there  till  .">.;'>"•  o'clock 
next  mornin;.'.  Lepajre  wiu-ked  in  the  lire-room,  assislinjx 
the  firemen,  and  so  esca|H>d  old  llardall,  who  nicknamed 
ni(;  the  old  <  ierr.ian. 

\N'e  had  a  liirhter  alon<jside  full  of  freight  that  we  were 
towinjr  up  to  Dawson,  and  as  she  h>aked  eonsideraidy  we 
were  ol)li<red  to  keep  her  pumped  out  w  itii  a  tin  pump. 
We  had  «>ne  uuin  with  us  out  of  the  ( iarone,  a  little  .*^wedo 
l>y  tlu"  nanu'  of  ( )oly.  II»'  had  Itcen  p:intrynnin  »m  that 
itoaf,  and  said  he  never  had  a  ^jfood  meals  \ictiials  while 
on  hoard,  as    no    provision    whatever   was   made  for  the 


100 


TO  THK   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


pantryman,  and  liu  mine  on  lioard  the  Rock  Island  ulxxit 
starved.  Ooly  jrenerally  lielju'd  Kyan.  We  were  kept 
niirvin;:  heavy  Itoxes  f  rom  one  side  to  the  otiier.  Ilardall 
was  riijfht  after  lis,  |»iisirin<r  an<l  najrjxinfT  lit  our  clothes. 
His  watchword  was  hurry  up,  and  I  felt  thai  if  i  had  to 
•.fo  to  Dawson  with  him  1  would  l»e  a  corpse  or  he  would, 
one  or  the  «>ther.  As  it  was  we  had  to  jro  seven  hundred 
miles  w  i  .1  him.  ami  then  wo  would  be  left  to  ourselves, 
so  I  concliiiled  I  iiuist  have  patience.  Hut  it  was  hard  to 
.stand  the  uliiisc  Inmi  that  man. 

We  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Viikoii  and  made  a  miss 
111'  tiiidiiiir  llic  cliamicl,  ^ettiii<r  airrouiid  on  a  saiid-l»ar, 
where  we  laid  until  the  tide  went  out  and  came  in  ajfaiu. 
Here  wc  were  visitetl  hy  two  ciUKics,  an  Indian  in  each 
one  with  litis  III  trade.  This  was  (piitc;  a  curiosity  I'or  the 
MiiLrlish  clciiiciit  mI  nm  passeiipTs  to  look  on,  so  they  j^ot 
(low  II  on  tlic  laiiMi'li  and  asked  (|iicstions,  which  the  poor 
Indian  did  not  iindei-stand,  until  finally  one  yoiiiiir  tVHow, 
wild  seemed  to  lie  over-stockcci  with  conceit  and  poor  jiid>f- 
mcnt.  induced  tiie  Indian,  who  was  a  little  sliy.  t<i  let  him 
'^r\  in  one  of  the  eaiioes.  T  eaiioc  was  inatlc  of  seal- 
skin, all  (leckeil  over,  with  just  a  hole  in  the  centre  for  one 
oeellpallt. 

The  Indian  i^ot  out  and  stood  on  the  iaiinch,  watching 
jiidceedinuf>  will'  that  stolid  coniilcnaiiee  peculiar  to  the 
race,  ami  the  yoiiii;.;  man  '^t>\  into  the  canoe,  with  a 
man  holdinir  it  iipri<rht,  whicii  reiniiided  me  of  one  leain- 
injjr  to  tide  a  liicxcle.  The  new  naviufator  j,'avc  the  word 
to  let  Lfo,  ami  as  thev  did  so,  over  she  went.  The  vouiitr 
man  was  under,  with  the  canoe  on  top,  and  a  shout  of 
laujfhter  went  up  that  could  have  lieen  heard  in  St.  Mi- 
chaels. The  [lasseUf^ers  elappeil  tlici;  hands  aii<l  shouted 
at  the  misforlune  of  th>'ir  countryman,  whose  hroad 
brimmed  hat  had  just  then  made  its  ap[iear:'Jice  on  the 
Hurfaee,  with  his  huatl  in  it.     Spluttering  and  spittin<;  out 


Tim    I   \N()E    I  ArM/EU. 


UP  THE   YUKON. 


161 


the  muddy  water  of  tlie  Yukon,  ho  <;riis[>ed  the  bottom  of 
the  eanoe  as  a  man  hauled  it  in  uhmjrside  of  the  hiuiieh, 
wliiK;  the  unfortunate  man  was  frrajipU'd  onto  ami  pulled 
on  hoard — a  sorry  lookinjr  ohject,  after  his  hath  in  the  ice 
cold  water  «)f  the  Vukon.  I  think  a  little  of  his  conceit 
was  washed  out,  and  a  little  euution  took  its  place,  for  ho 
never  swelled  around  airain  as  much  as  hefcu-e,  and  ho 
seenu'd  rather  more  social. 

Kllorts  were  made  to  jret  a  pliotoirrapli  of  the  Indian, 
hut  he  would  not  all(»w  it,  and  paddled  away  as  fast  as  ho 
could  to  <ret  out  of  ranire  of  the  kodak,  of  which  ho 
seemed  to  have  a  superstitious  dread. 

The  captain  had  l»een  out  in  the  yawl  tryin<r  to  locate 
the  ciiannel,  and  had  succeeded  in  nii.kin^  up  a  slake  for 
a  beacon.  When  the  steamer  tlualca  I  v.as  duly  thankful, 
for  Ooly  and  I  had  been  kept  l»usy  pumpin<r  with  that  tin 
piunp — the  steamer's  pump-  Iteinir  useless  temporarily, 
as  shv  was  tlitt  bottomed  and  t.i.  -is  the  mud.  We  were 
iiv)u/i  (Ji  S{ir  v)vM)i>fi  .iivl  sleainiuir  ni>  the  river.  I  thou^'ht 
lo  myself,  c(»(dd  there  l>e  any  ;^old  in  that  heap  of  delu'is 
and  mud  i  What  a  dismal  |»lace  I  l'erha|is  it  was  liecause 
1  was  not  feelinir  well  tiiat  the  surroundinjrs  looked  so 
horrible  to  me.  .Nothinjr  but  stunted  willows  ^new  alonjf 
the  l)anl\s,  and  larire  junks  of  ««artli  kept  slumpin;.'  into 
the  liver  as  the  current  swept  it  away  from  inideineat li. 
(ireat  beds  of  willows  wtndd  lueak  away  from  the  brink 
and  dropdown  into  the  water.  For  a  while  they  \\oul<l 
liend  their  strenjj-th  against  the  tide.  I>ut  it  was  only  for  a 
little  while,  and  then  they  would  be  driftini:  amonir  the 
other  deliris  that  floated  down  to  llerinjr  sea. 

The  Indian  Hhacks  jjere  were  built  of  willow  woven  to- 
gether and  covered  over  w  ith  sail.  There  is  one  thinir  I 
may  jis  well  explain  now.  as  it  will  be  mentioned  often 
throuirli  the  ren>aiider  of  my  writintrs,  and  that  is  the 
slough  (pront)unv'ed  slew ).      The  slough  is  a  side  channel 


VV2 


TO   Tin:   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLDS. 


mado  liy  the  overlldw  of  water.  Wlioii  there  is  an  ieo 
jam  the  water  opens  a  new  way  for  niih's,  riinnin;;  paral- 
lel with  the  river  Itefore  tindini;  its  way  out  to  the  stream 
airain.  In  time  the  water  washes  out  this  new  ehainiel, 
which  always  all'ords  a  very  convenient  slu'lter  for  men  in 
a  li')at  or  canoe,  wln-n  the  wind  is  hi;.di  on  the  river,  and 
it  is  always  easy  to  lind  one  of  these  sloii<;hs,  for  they  are 
plenty  alonir  the  hanks  of  the  riv<'i'. 

Aftei'  two  days  on  the  Ynkon  I  was  awakened  in  tlie 
niuht  liy  the  cry  of  ••  Wood  pile,  wood  pile."  and  the 
mate  (li;:<rinir  me  in  the  ril»s,  as  was  his  usual  manner 
when  he  could  <ret  near  enon<rh.  lie  was  shout in<r,  "(iet 
lip.  Iioys,  and  hel|t  carry  the  wood  on  hoard.""  The 
steamer  i»lew  hei'  whistle  the  siirnal  for  wood  tothenu'n 
(Ml  shore,  and  the  steamer  was  irroimded  on  some  kind 
of  a  mud  and  sand  lieach.  I'lie  plank  was  run  on  shore, 
with  the  mates  hnrrvin<r  thinirs  up,  and  two  men  landed 
with  our  liowdine  and  made  it  fast.  'I'lie  line  was  drawn 
taut  on  l»oard  Ity  oiii'  steam  capstan,  and  the  captain  went 
on  shore  to  tr.ade  with  these  indi.ans  for  tlxii'  wood,  pay- 
inix  tlu'm  in  dry  j^oods  and  some  tlour. 

The  word  wasjjiven  us  to  hustle  that  wood  on  i>oaril, 
and  away  we  went  with  a  rush,  lo  lie  met  on  the  i»anks  liy 
mxiiads  of  niosipiitoes  that  seemed  to  he  w.-iitiuir  foi-  us, 
and  charged  on  u>  like  mad  l>ees.  When  we  opened  up 
the  woodpile  they  sw  irmed  arouiul  us,  and  the  lilood  ran 
dow  n  our  faces  from  th«^  l)itcs  of  these  little  torments. 
We  had  no  protection  from  them,  and  had  live  cords  of 
wood  to  take  in,  so  wo  had  to  st;(nd  it. 

I  was  taken  Ity  surprise,  ftn-  I  had  never  heard  it  men- 
tioned that  there  were  mosquitoes  in  .Vlaska  I  mean  such 
swarms  of  them,  and  so  well  educated  to  thcii'  woik.  .V 
few  of  the  passen<:ers  ventured  on  shoic  w  iUi  nuisipiito 
netlinL;  (>\  er  their  faces.  Inoliceij  that  the  Indians  sat 
in  the  snnike  of  some  dry  lojrs,  and  were  not  troul)led  hv 


1  \KIN).    IN    \V<K)h   lis    TIIK    ^IKON. 


ri'   Till-.    YUKON. 


it;8 


tlu'iii.  W  (>  i^ot  dill'  wood  (III  lidiinl,  and  \m>i'(' soon  stctiiii- 
iii;.'  it|)  the  river  ii<:iiiii. 

A  few  of  lln'  loniiciils  lotik  imssiitfc  with  lis,  iiiiil  we 
saw  liiit  little  sleep  after  tiiat.  ()iieila\  we  landed  tociit 
wood,  and  were  provided  with  axes.  'I'liere  weren't  iiiaiiv 
professional  wood-e hoppers  in  our  crov^d.  so  we  ;.'ol  IhiI 
little,  hikI  the  steamer  wt'iit  on  iier  way  ayain.  I'oor  Kyan 
cut  his  foot,  throiiirh  old  llardall  piiiiehini:  him  in  the 
lilts  to  iiiiriy  him  up.  Kyaii's  hoots  were  new  ones  and 
eoHt  four  dollars,  hut  what  did  llartlall  care  for  that  '.  lie 
kept  on  w(irl<in<r  us  just  the  same,  ami  I  hej^aii  to  feel 
alioiit  ready  to  hreak  down. 

.Vfter  woodin^f  up  and  rimnini.''  the  gauntlet  of  inostpii- 
toes  as  usual,  \\v  landed  at  the  Holy  ('ios.s  .Mi.ssiou  to  let 
a  lady  passeno;L'r  olT  who  was  >;oin;,'  to  assist   in  t*'iiehin^r 


the 


Ind 


laiis. 


U 


e    saw    the   yoiiny 


Ind 


laii    schnjars  come 


<lo\vn  on  the  heaeh  in  pink  eiilico  dresses  and  hliio 
(•aps  with  ".'old  hainls  around  them.  They  looked  cleaii 
iind  neat.  This  little  town  set  at  the  foot  of  a  hi^di  moun- 
tain, iiiid  had  a  heaiitifiil  sand  Iteaeh.  There  wius  <;ieeii 
«;rii.s.s  j^rowiiitf,  and,  I  understood,  sonic  other  vej^etation. 
I  think  it  the  most  |)leasant  place  I  .saw    in  .Vlaska. 

W'e  left  that  place  and  steametl  aloiij,'  U|>  the  river.  I 
was  taken  sick  and  went  to  see  the  doctor,  who  j,'ave  me 
some  of  his  medicine,  and  the  captitin  told  nic  to  ^n  to 
my  room  and  not  to  come  out  of  it  for  any  hody.   I  oheyed 

soon    cnjoyiiitr    the    rest  tiiat    I 


nis    eommaiK 


ami    was 


needed  so  much,  aIthoiiji,di    llardall  j^ave   me   a  diir  in   th 


n 


l)S  wl 


u'liever  he  came  to  our  room  to  call  the  hovs. 


( )ne  day  Kyan  came  and  asked  me  wlu-re  I  wanted  to  he 
liUiled,  as  we  were  iieariii}^  the  mouth  of  the  Koyiikuk. 
I  tol.l  him  where  we  could  iret  wood  to  liiiild  our  hoat. 
Tlieve  was  a  place  calleil  Pickett's  Landiny,  and  they 
wr.idd  land  us  ahoiit  a  mile  helow.      Soon  after,  the  steamer 


hlcw 


lier  w  histie  for  a 


W(io(l-[iilc,  and    Hyaii 


toll 


me 


tl 


lev 


Ai 


^> 


^V^>.- 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

'71.*^  «72>503 


<; 


yd 


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o 


vV 


A 


164 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIKLUS. 


were  liiiulin<r  our  t'rei<rlit  and  to  qet  ready  to  qo  asliore. 
I  "ot  out  of  inv  berth  and  "oiny  down  on  tlie  freitiiit  deck 
found  Ilardall  there.  He  tohl  nie  to  hiok  over  tiie  Itoat 
and  see  that  we  left  notliinff  behind.  I  found  that  everv- 
tiling  was  landed  and  shook  hands  with  Ilardall  and  the 
eapfciin,  who  advised  me  to  y-et  up  the  Koyukuk  as  soon 
as  I  eould. 

I  ran  ujt  the  plank  onto  the  bank  and  found  half  a  dozen 
men  there  looking  for  letteis  and  trying  to  sell  the  wood, 
i)Ut  the  priee  being  •'t'l  *>  per  cord  the  captain  woidd  iiot 
buy  and  pushing  off  from  the  l)aiik  steamed   up  tlie  river. 

I  found  that  we  were  among  swarms  ol'  m()S(jnitoes,  and 
as  it  bega.i  to  rain  we  raised  our  tent  and  placeii  under  it 
all  ])erishable  articles.  It  was  a  warm,  sultry  day,  and  the 
moscjuitoes  bit  freely — in  a  sort  of  bewildere<l  state.  I 
tried  to  think  what  was  the  next  l)est  move  to  make  to  get 
away  from  there,  fo''  we  would  be  devoured  by  tiiese  [)ests. 
We  had  to  build  a  l)oat.  foi'  we  could  not  l)uy  one.  The 
price  np  there  was  thirty  dollars  for  a  small  poling  boat, 
and  it  would  take  three  or  four  of  the.se  to  carry  our  freiglit. 
On  the  other  hand  it  would  take  nearly  three  weeks  to 
saw  out  the  lumlier  and  build  a  i)oat.  Hyaii  cooked  our 
sujjper  and  we  tried  to  lie  down  to  sleep. 

I  shall  never  forget  my  exi)erience  tiiat  night.  It  was 
not  dark,  for  it  was  in  July,  and  the  day  and  night  were 
all  one.  I  took  a  heavy  l»ed  quilt,  and  wrai)piug  it  aroinid 
my  hea<l  trii'd  to  sleep.  It  was  hard  to  breathe,  but  any- 
thing was  preferalde  to  being  eaten  up.  Poor  Ryan  could 
not  stand  them.  lie  ran  and  danced  like  a  niachnan — 
sliouting  and  blaspiieming  luitii  I  was  afraid  he  had  lost 
his  mind.  Lepage  appeared  to  slee|).  tiiey  didn't  seem  to 
l)other  him,  or  else  he  kept  his  composure.      >•  Well,"   ho 


sai 


d  to 


nie  next  mormnL 


let    us   <xo  up   IMekett's   wav 


and  see  if  we  can  l»uy  a  boat."     I  did  not  know  where  it 
was  cominir  from,  but  I  felt  that  we  could  get  something, 


UP   THE   YUKON. 


166 


for  liCi)a.ire  Imcl  the  money,  thoiiifh  I  did  not  know  how 
much. 

AVc  met  a  few  of  the  tenters,  as  there  was  l)iit  one  log 
l)iiildin<r,  and  that  wass  Pickett's  store.  This  ))lace  was 
worked  l)_v  a  steamboat  ('omi)an>-  wliifh  i)aid  men  to  cut 
wood  for  them.  What  they  did  not  want  themselves  they 
would  sell  at  a  hiirh  price — even  as  hiirh  as  twenty  dollars 
a  cord.  When  a  boat  was  short  of  wood  they  would 
l)inch  them,  of  course,  so  we  asked  if  there  was  a  chance 
to  l)uy  a   Ixvit. 

The  prices  ran  from  forty  to  sixty  dollars,  and  we  did 
not  have  that  amount,  l)ut  when  we  were  returning  1  saw 
an  old  l)()at  lying  under  the  l)ank.  it  looked  i)retty  well 
used  up,  hi't  I  stoi)})ed  to  interrogate  one  of  Pickett's  men 
who  said  he  did  not  know  who  it  belonged  to — the  Indians 
used  it  to  go  lishing  in  sometimes.  I  went  down  the  bank 
to  look  at  it  and  saw  tiiat  it  was  just  what  we  wanted  — 
witii  a  few  repairs.  She  could  carr}-  all  of  our  freight 
and  I  wanted  to  l)uy.  He  said  he  would  sell  it  to  us. 
We  told  him  we  had  iiut  little  mtniev.  and  he  asked  if  we 
had  ten  dollars.  Lepage  nodded,  and  the  man  said  he 
would  sell  for  that.  We  closed  t.ie  bargain  and  got  into 
our  boat,  to  drop  her  down  to  our  tent,  where  I  com- 
menced re])airs  at  (mce. 

Lepage  iiad  to  make  a  i)air  of  oars  and  we  went  at  it 
with  a  will.  I  felt  that  we  were  favored  again  and  was 
thankful.  There  was  a  steam  launch  at  Pickett's  belong- 
ing to  the  -Vlaska  L'nion  ('(mii)any  :  their  regular  boat 
was  on  its  way  up  the  Kovukuk  and  this  I)()at  was  wait- 
ing for  some  steamer  that  would  l»ring  them  letters. 
There  were  eighty  men  in  this  cam|)  and  the  South  Forks 
was  where  they  were  heading  :  yet  there  were  men  of  the 
cam])  in  a  numl)er  of  ditlerent  places,  prosjjecting. 

South  Forks  was  where  they  would  l)uild  a  city,  and 
we  were  invited  n\>  to  the  South  Forks  Union   City.      As 


106 


T(J   TFIE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


\vc  had  not  (lecided  wlicri!  to  locato,  we  tliou^dit  that  uc 
would  iro  tliero  ;  so  we  hustled  to  irot  our  Itoat  ready,  for 
we  were  <rettin<r  no  sleep  and  wanted  to  get  away  from 
w  here  we  were, 

Sunday  ni()rnini>'  came  and  we  were  all  ready.  I  di<l  not 
care  about  startinir  out  on  Sunday,  I)Ut  the  mos(]uitoes  were 
hitiuir  just  the  same  as  they  did  any  other  day,  and  I  asked 
the  hoys  what  they  thouiil't.  'I'hey  were  all  ready  to  iro, 
so  we  loaded  njt  our  lioat  and  with  Lepajje  ahead  with  the 
tow  rope — for  the  current  was  swift  and  hanks  steep — we 
warped  her  alonn"  toward  the  mouth  of  the  Koyuknk. 
Some  men  hailed  us,  claiming  we  would  never  get  up  the 
river  with  that  load  on  our  hoat,  hut  we  did  not  answer, 
for  we  felt  sure  we  could  and  were  not  to  l)e  discouraged. 

After  we  got  around  the  hend  we  could  row.  Ahead 
of  us  was  a  high,  rocky  bluff  that  gave  lis  a  little  trouble 
to  get  around.  After  that  we  could  row,  and  we  got  to 
the  month  of  the  river  sometime  in  the  night,  where  we 
were  told  that  on.  hoat  was  too  deep  and  that  we  never 
could  get  up  the  river  with  that  load.  We  heeded  not 
their  warning,  but  pushing  along  we  were  told  to  keep  to 
the  right  l)ank  and  we  would  go  along  all  right.  We  did 
so  as  soon  as  practicable,  hut  the  trouble  was  we  g()t  no 
sleep. 

After  we  had  l»een  thr<;e  nights  without  sleep,  we  landed 
on  the  bank  where  there  was  a  breeze  i)lowing,  and  had  a 
sort  of  restless  slee[).  We  had  been  so  long  witiiout  it 
that  we  were  troubled  with  nervousness,  and  I  could  not 
close  my  eyes  S(j  long  as  F  heard  the  moscjuitoes'  bugle. 
We  did  not  stop  long,  but  wen;  up  and  away  again  and 
soon  began  to  feel  the  need  of  sleep.  Wc  tied  our  boat 
to  an  old  stump  that  was  off  in  mid-stream  while  we  were 
getting  our  dinner, — if  you  could  call  it  such.  We  had 
not  taken  time  to  cook  and  our  meals  consisted  of  hard 
liread  and  condensed  milk — a  very  weak  diet  for  the  work 
we  had  before  us. 


r,ETTIN<;    READV   TO    ASCEND   THE    KOVrKlK. 


UP   THK   YUKON. 


167 


I  had  iiiiule  a  iiios(iuito  net  and  had  it  over  my  luit ; 
when  I  went  to  liglit  my  pipe  it  caught  tire,  and  by  tJie 
time  I  got  it  away  from  my  face  it  was  comitletely  des- 
troyed. The  Ahuska  Union  hiunch  passed  up  by  and  hailed 
us,  asking  where  we  wanted  to  go.  We  answered  "  up  tlie 
Ivoyukuk,"  and  they  rei)Hed  we  were  on  tlie  wrong  river — 
we  wouhl  have  to  go  back. 

This  worried  us  a  little,  for  we  had  no  charts  and  it  was 
hard  to  feel  just  contident  unless  we  saw  some  landmark, 
"k'et  I  did  not  intend  to  turn  back,  and  why  that  maa 
should  lie  I  could  not  tell. 

There  was  another  little  steam  hiunch  on  the  river  and 
we  found  out  tliat  it  behmged  to  the  Kelly  party  from 
New  York.  She  was  trying  to  take  two  heavy  boats  up 
the  river,  loaded  with  stores,  l)y  relayin«r.  We  had  made 
a  sail,  and  with  a  fair  wind  we  were  stennning  the  current 
all  right. 

We  saw  a  large  boat  laying  on  the  side  of  the  bank,  so 
we  landed,  and  found  three  men  of  the  Kelly  party  cut- 
ting wood.  They  were  one  of  the  relays  and  were  wait- 
ing tlieir  turn  to  I)e  towed  further  up.  They  told  us  that 
we  were  oi,  the  Koyukuk  and  that  this  Alaska  Union 
Company  was  a  set  of  vagabonds.  They  did  not  wonder 
at  their  trying  to  send  us  down  the  river  again.  It  was 
one  oi  their  tricks. 

I  saw  that  two  of  this  party  were  disgusted  with  Alas- 
ka and  were  willing  to  go  back.  We  bade  them  good-bye 
and  sailed  away  with  nun-e  coniidence  in  ourselves,  for  we 
knew  that  men  would  lie  to  make  mischief  and  we  would 
be  on  our  guard  hereafter. 

We  made  a  landing  on  the  point  of  an  island  where 
there  was  a  good  breeze  blowing,  thinking  to  cheat  the 
mos(iuitoes  and  get  some  rest.  But  after  we  landed  and 
cooked  something  to  eat  the  wind  died  out  and  they 
swarmed  down  on  us. 


168 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD    KIKLDS. 


Hyan  and  I  walked  the  l)ea('li  until  I  tliouglit  I  slioidd 
drop,  We  tlien  woke  Lepage  up,  <rot  in  our  boats  and 
rowed  up  stream  again.  If  we  had  known  enough  to  iiave 
made  a  smoke  we  might  have  got  rid  of  some  of  the  nios- 
(juitoes,  hut  it  never  entered  our  minds,  and  we  had  to 
stand  and  take  it.  I  saw  that  there  was  a  coolness  between 
Kyan  and  liepage,  and  their  sulky,  glnm  visages  made  it 
very  unpleasant  for  me,  as  it  was  a  case  that  needed  har- 
mony. 

We  had  seven  hundred  miles  of  river  to  get  over  and 
M'hat  there  was  ahead  of  us  to  overcome  we  did  not  know. 
AN'e  were  told  that  when  we  got  to  Treat's  Island  we  were 
h<alf  way  up,  hut  we  had  no  way  to  determine  how  many 
miles  we  made  in  a  day,  and  the  river  was  nothing  hut 
crooks  and  tiuiis.  We  did  not  set  our  tent  nights,  but 
slept  out  on  the  banks  in  our  sleeping-bags,  not  knowing 
but  that  some  wild  animal  would  come  along  and  eat  our 
heads  off.     We  cared  little,  so  long  as  we  could  sleep. 

Some  nights  Ave  would  wake  up  and  find  it  had  been 
raining  and  we  were  soaked.  Our  pillows  sounded  like  a 
bee's  nest  when  the  bees  are  fighting  mad  and  trying  to 
get  out.  These  mosquitoes  were  a  torment  to  us  ;  oiir 
hands  were  swollen  to  twice  their  natural  size  and  our 
faces  were  a  iiitif ul  sight.  Although  we  wore  netting  over 
lis,  they  could  get  through  and  piuiish  us  for  trying  tt» 
keep  them  out.  The  river  was  low  and  we  had  quite  an 
easy  time  of  it,  for  the  current  was  not  swift  and  there 
were  sand-bars  all  bare  that  broke  the  force  of  the  stream, 
making  dead  water  for  us.  All  this  helped  and  we  figured 
we  were  making  about  fifteen  miles  per  day,  but  I  think- 
now  that  ten  miles  was  about  all  that  we  could  do. 

The  shores  all  along  were  muddy,  and  when  we  landed 
we  would  sink  nearly  to  our  knees.  The  first  fierce  strug- 
gle we  had  was  with  a  sand  bar.  There  was  a  shoal  chan- 
nel between  it  and  the  shore,  but  not  deep  enough  for  us 


IP   THK    YUKON. 


169 


to  get  through.  On  tlie  otlier  side  of  tlie  Imr  was  our  only 
hope  and  we  had  a  struggle  to  get  there,  tor  the  har 
was  uneven,  full  of  gully  holes  and  then  shoaled  up  again. 
We  dared  nr)t  get  overboard  for  fear  of  getting  into  one 
of  these  holes  and  the  eurrent  was  racing  over  this  point. 
We  eoiKiuered  at  last  and  sent  Kyan  on  the  liar  with  the 
rope  while  we  towed  her  along,  hut  siie  took  a  sheer  that 
Ryan  could  not  manage,  and  after  iieing  draggetl  off  int«» 
the  water  he  let  go  the  rope  and  f^epage  and  I  went  down 
the  river  like  a  race  horse,  leaving  Ryan  standing  on  the 
bar.  We  got  to  our  oai^s  and  i-eaohed  the  I  tank  after  a 
hard  row,  where  Ryan  joined  us. 

After  getting  off  the  har  we  thought  we  would  try  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  hut  found  we  could  do  nothing 
there.  Our  only  hojK;  was  this  sand  liar,  so  we  came  liack 
again  to  the  place  we  had  left,  and  after  a  hard  time  of  it 
we  got  hy.  We  found  that  the  river  was  rising  l)y  the 
junks  of  froth  that  came  floating  down.  The  wind  was 
against  us  about  all  of  the  time  and  we  could  not  use  our 
sail.  After  this  we  had  to  use  new  tactics,  for  the  river 
had  changed.  The  crooks  were  more  elbow  .style  and  we 
would  cross  the  river  to  where  the  current  was  easy  and 
there  was  good  sand  l)ottom  ;  for  as  the  current  came  rush- 
ing around  a  point  it  would  cross  over  to  the  other  bank, 
where  it  would  gully  out  and  the  trees  would  slide  in, 
making  a  mass  of  fallen  trees  that  was  impossible  to  jwiss, 
while  on  the  other  side  there  was  easy  water,  with  a  good 
chance  to  tow  our  boat  along  until  we  came  to  the  point 
that  we  would  have  to  rope  around  until  we  could  get  a 
chance  to  cross  over. 

There  were  some  difficulties  also  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river.  Some  trees  and  limbs  stood  upright,  iis  they 
had  grown,  while  some  leaned  over  our  boat  as  if  threat- 
ening to  fall  and  swamp  us.  At  other  places  the  bank 
hollowed  out  ready  to  dump  another  lot  of  trees.     This  is 


170 


TO   TIIK   ALASKAN    (i()M>    KIKhUS. 


tlic  way  uc  i^ot  iiroiiiid  tliat  point.  Ii('jia<.'i'  was  llie  most 
surc-t'ootfd,  and  lie  took  tlic  rope,  passiiii;  il  outside  of  all 
tilt'  trcHJs.  W'lit'ii  lie  t^dt  all  the  ropt;  \vc  woidd  sliovc  olV 
uiid  pidl  until  we  tTdt  to  tiic  end  and  then  pass  it  a<;ain. 
This  was  dauijfcrons  work  for  l.t'piinc,  tor  he  had  to  iro 
out  on  Uvv.s  that  wcro  lyinjjf  in  tlu'  rivt-r  and  hy  tho  crooks 
of  the  hank.  We  little  knew  wlu-n  tlm  hank  would  nive 
wa\,  hut  in  this  niaiuu-i-  we  iiiauajicd  to  work  the  rivei'. 

One  (lay  we  tried  a  slouyh  for  a  rest  and  risked  the  ehanee 
of  i>-ettinn'  out  at  the  other  end.  We  made  a  jfood  eul-oll', 
hut  found  a  h:ir  aeross  the  other  end  and  the  water  pour- 
ing- in.  We  worked  some  time  to  jjet  throuj^h  hut  found 
it  im[)o.ssihle,  so  we  had  In  tui'n  haek.  We  had  then  i)een 
on  the  river  three  weeks  and  tin-  Ixiys  were  doinn'  jiretty 
well  for  men  who  never  hail  worked  a  liont  he  hire  and  had 
taken  their  hrsl  lesson  on  the  Koynkuk.  Hut  one  trouiile 
was  that  after  tliey  had  learncid  so  niueh  they  tiiouirlit  they 
knew  it  all,  and  sometimes  conflieted  with  my  orders, 
which  made  had  work  for  me.  Still  this  is  natural  to  all 
lieginners  ami  I  had  to  overlook  it. 

IiO|)aii:e  was  very  (luick  to  learn,  and  used  j^ood  jndii;- 
ment  on  workinir  the  river.  He  was  very  active  in  his 
movements,  and  that  is  a  i>o(id  feature  in  hoatiuLf ;  hut  lie 
was  |i^rowin<>' anihitious,  and  had  to  he  called  down,  llo 
a  as  sulky,  which  he  ehiinied  was  Ryan's  hiult.  and  so  the 
harmony  that  ouirht  to  have  existed  was  wi[ied  out,  and 
jeahmsy  and  <rlooin  ruled  in  its  phux*.  lycpage  had  a  jeal- 
ous nature,  that  showed  itself  every  little  while,  when  he 
could  not  keep  himself  from  ids  dark  thoughts, — but  it 
was  Ryan"s  fault.  He  said  he  could  get  along  with  me  all 
right  if  it  was  not  for  Kyun. 

'J'he  mosquitoes  were  thinning  out,  the  gnats  taking 
their  places,  and  these  little  pests  were  ten  times  worse 
than  the  uiosciuitoes,  though  they  would  let  you  rest 
nights.     They  would  stop  their  work  at  seven,  hut  about 


IHKI1«1'LIIKS    \\h.     Mhl     iiN     llli.    M\KK. 


I!  I'    THK    Yl'KON. 


171 


live  ill  llic  iiiiiniiii^  wniild  st4irt  in  apiiii  at  lull  lilasl.  'i'lu> 
iiiiisi|iiit()  lu'l  was  1)1'  iKi  use,  lor  tlicv  \v(»iil(l  Hilt  tliruii;^rli 
it,  uikI  alter  lliev  ir''t  in  wonM  liujil  to  <.'('t  out.  Tlicy 
swarmed  altoiit  lis  all  day,  lilliii^  oiir  eais,  eyes,  inoiilliand 
nostrils;  they  woiil<l  iairy  tiieniselves  in  oiir  liair  and 
l)nrrow  into  the  llesli,  iMiii;riii<r  the  hlood. 

We  iiad  not  met  a  human  hein^'  for  tiiice  weeks,  and 
we  felt  there  was  noiiod\  on  tlie  river  iait  lis.  ( )ne  iiiyht, 
after  \vv  iiad  piteiied  our  tent,  1  was  eookiiiir  supper,  and 
Hyaii  and  Lei)a,n('  were  soeurin<r  tlie  hoat  for  the  iii^dit, 
wiieii  suddenly  i  heard  the  commaiid  of  •' llamls  'i|  I " 
and  looking'  u[).  I  saw  tiiret;  men  standing;  with  rev(d\(',r.s 
[>ointed  at  us.  IJefore  1  could  say  anythiiiff  they  hunt 
into  a  hiiij>ii  ami  came  forward.  I  had  not  seen  U  ;ni  l»< 
fore,  Iwit  1  ^hail  luner  forget  the  feeling  of  welcome  as  I 
grasi)ed  their  hands  for  ii  friendly  shake.  They  had  mis- 
Liikeii  IIS  for  anotlierj)arty,  hut  were  glad  to  meet  us.  They 
helonged  to  the  launch  Serene,  formerly  of  the  Kelly  party, 
that  hroke  uj)  down  the  river,  and  four  of  them  took  what 
provisions  they  wanted  and  eanie  alonj;.  The  rest  went 
back  to  Nulato  with  the  remainder  of  the  stores  to  sell  them 
out.  We  were  out  of  tohaeeo,  and  begged  a  smoke  of 
them,  and  they  went  to  the  bout  and  brought  us  a  pouud,^ 
for  which  we  were  very  grateful. 

I'liey  were  going  dp  to  Anrtic  City',  and  we  spent  a 
pleasant  evening  tiilking  together,  and  when  they  left  us 
we  were  alone  onco  more  to  fight  our  way  along.  I^epage 
grew  sulky  and  would  not  talk,  because  they  addressed  their 
eonversatiou  mostly  to  Ityan  ;  he  did  not  like  the  Serenes 
and  hated  Ryan  the  more.  At  last  Uyaii  said  he  would 
tell  me  what  the  trouble  was  between  them,  but  as  it  was 
a  personal  matter  I  will  not  repeat  it.  I  considered 
Lepage  unreasonable,  and  no  blame  attached  to  Ryan. 
Lepage  knew  that  he  told  ine,  and  he  was  very  wrathful 
with  him. 


172 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


I  was  (lolijrlited  with  my  new  acqnaintiinoes,  and  felt 
R'vivt'd  after  tlieir  visit,  for  I  was  about  half  sick  hel'ore. 

We  shouldered  tlie  t<tw  line  once  more  and  started  up 
the  river,  l()okin<>'  for  'I'reat's  Island,  and  th()U>>'li  we  did 
not  know  what  the  island  was  like,  supposed  that  we 
would  find  tiie  mouth  of  the  i)assa,<;e  easily.  We  followed 
the  trail  of  some  i)oats  ahead,  seeing  their  tent  stakes 
where  they  had  tented  nit,dits  :  sometimes  a  jiiece  of  sawed 
wood  from  some  steamer  was  a  si<rn  that  we  were  on  the 
riirht  river:  then  there  would  he  a  place  wheve  wood  had 
l)ei'n  cut.  'I'his  is  the  way  I  navigated  without  chart  or 
compass,  and  was  conlident  I  was  ii<;lit. 

One  morniii<r  we  passed  the  steamer  Luella,  wooding' 
n\).  We  did  not  speak  hei;  as  we  were  on  the  opposite 
side  of  tlie  river.  Aft<'r  irettiui;' about  a  mile  further  up 
we  came  to  some  rapids  on  the  ])oint  of  a  sand  bar,  the 
first  we  had  seen,  and  we  tried  hard  to  j.'et  the  lioat  ovei' 
them,  i)nt  the  current  would  catch  one  side  of  her  bmv 
!in<l  wrench  iier  out  of  our  grasp,  swinj'injf  her  like  a  top. 
then  she  would  briui;  up  sideways  on  a  hummock,  of  which 
the  bar  was  full,  and  nearly  capsize.  We  always  jumijed 
in  when  v/e  found  she  was  ufoiiiir,  and  this  fri<rhteiied  Le- 
pai^e  and  be  would  scold,  while  Iv^'an  always  knew  euou^li 
to  keep  bis  tonyue  still.  I  knew  there  was  no  danixcr,  for 
the  water  was  shallow.  Lepai^e,  after  one  or  two  trials  to 
t>et  the  boat  over,  with  the  sanu^  result,  thouirht  we  ccndd 
row  her  over  further  out  from  tlu;  shore.  I  could  see  the 
water  Imbbliui:  up  theic  and  boiling',  showini"'  that  there 
was  a  rou<rh  bottcnn  near  the  surface,  but  Lepa<re  took  it 
for  back  water.  Off  there  was  where  the  dan<rer  lay,  for 
if  we  had  struck  a  bununo(d\  we  would  have  been  thrown 
in  so  (juick  that  we  would  never  have  known  what  did  it. 
Yet  I  said  nothincf  and  agreed  to  veiituic  to  yive  him  a 
little  experience. 

We  rowed  out  into  the  stream,  y^ot  into  the  back  water, 


UP   THE   YUKON, 


173 


and  rowed  up  to  the  rapids.  We  found  we  rowed  bot- 
tom, and  sometimes  the  hnmuKHk  was  there.  I  told  tliem 
to  try  poling  her,  which  they  did,  and  trained  a  little,  but 
a  whirl  in  the  tide  caujj^ht  one  side  of  our  l)ow,  she  spun 
around  so  quick  that  she  threw  them  down  on  one  side, 
and  the  l)oilinjj^  current  keeled  her  over  gunwale  to,  and 
away  we  went  down  stream.  I  held  my  l)reath  until  she 
passed  over  the  hununocks,  for  1  knew  the  real  danger, 
while  the  Ixns  were  afraid  of  a  little  water  that  splashed 
over  her  side. 

They  took  their  oai-s  to  row,  and  I  steered  for  the  other 
side,  trying  to  land  above  the  Luellti.  but  this  was  a  nar- 
row reach,  and  the  tide  was  rushing  through  with  great 
force,  sf)  we  landed  belo\\-  the  steamer. 

These  were  the  lii-st  ra]tids  we  had  met  and  we  were 
coiKjuered.  We  had  a  hard  looking  show,  but  must  pass 
up  this  reach  somehow.  The  Luella  liad  quite  a  number 
of  boats  that  she  was  towing  up  and  a  few  passengers,  in- 
cluding one  woman — I  think  the  cajitain's  wife.  We  went 
on  board  and  inquired  iov  letters,  but  there  were  none  for 
us,  and  we  pushed  on  up  the  river.  \\'c  saw  the  Luella 
drop  in  mid-stream  and  attempt  to  stem  the  tide ;  she 
just  held  her  own  for  fifteen  miiuites,  and  we  thought  she 
would  not  do  it,  when  she  began  to  get  ahead,  and  under 
full  steam  turned  around  the  l)eud  out  of  sight,  while  we 
were  holding  on  to  the  branches,  hauling  our  boat  along 
the  bank.  This  was  slow  progress,  but  we  won.  and  were 
soon  on  a  sand  beach  with  the  tow  ro])e  and  pole,  pushing 
up  stream. 

When  we  stiirted  out  in  the  morning  we  little  knew 
what  we  had  to  go  through  before  we  camped  for  the 
night.  We  passed  what  they  call  an  Indian  village,  con- 
sisting of  a  cache",  a  tent,  a  shed,  a  row  of  drying  poles  for 
drying  tish,  ii;id  a  lot'  shack.  I  called  it  a  summer  resort. 
The  sheu  »«.■?  what  they  u.sed  before  they  got  tents  to  live 


174 


TO   THK    ALA^iKAN    GOLD    KIKI.US. 


under  in  Uie  summer,  when  it  is  fishing  time.  Tlie  cache 
is  used  lor  winter  fishing,  when  the  fish  is  frozen  as  soon 
as  caught  and  i)nt  in  the  cache,  where  it  remains  frozen  the 

year  round. 

Tlie  summer  tish  consist  of  sahnon,  wliich  are  split  and 
hung  over  tlie  holes  to  dry  :  sometimes  a  little  smoke  is 
used  to  drive  off  the  insects,  wliicli,  when  tliey  have  notli- 
ing  else,  live  on  raw  salmon.  The  place  we  passed  was  a 
line  location  and  the  Indians  seemed  contented. 


f  ■>'}-•*.. 


■J    ,\  ,i  ij-ff- 


i 


■«■  ■■ 


CIIAPTKU   X. 

ON    THE    WAV    T(t    AliCTIC    CITY. — Hl'NTlN(i    FOK    TI!KAT"s 

ISLAND. — TI{ADIN(i   W  ITH  THK  INDIANS. — THK   MAKV 

ANN    MKETS    WITH    AN    ACCIDENT. — MISHAPS    IN 

n»WIN(i. — WE   liEACH     Hl'OHES'    ItAK     AND 

SEE    OUI!    KIJtHT    (iOLD. 


We  got  [)rettv  well  u\)  tlie  river  and  were  looking  for 
Treat's  Island,  when  about  six  o'clock  we  saw  a  large 
opening  turning  oft'  to  the  right,  and  thought  it  worth  our 
wliile  to  cam})  here  and  investigate.  We  landed  on  the 
[)oint,  wliich  was  quite  high  land  with  a  low,  swampy  sort 
of  meadow,  and  a  creek  running  into  it.  ( )n  the  other 
side  was  what  we  took  for  a  wide  river,  but  which  I  did 
not  feel  was  the  one  we  Avere  looking  for. 

We  pitched  our  tent,  cooked  and  ate  our  supper,  after 
which  we  were  surprised  hy  the  Serenes  coming  u[)  to  the 
same  point  and  making  fast.  They  talked  with  us  about 
this  river,  believing  it  to  be  the  one  they  were  looking  for 
so  we  planned  to  try  it  next  morning. 

Tiiere  was  a  fair  wind  blowing  in,  and  we  set  sail  and 
went  ploughing  up  through  it  like  a  steamer.  I  did  not 
feel  sure  then  of  wliat  we  were  doing  and  would  never 
liave  ventured  but  for  the  confident  way  in  which  the 
Serenes  spoke.  Aiiev  sailing  all  the  forenoon  I  began  to 
see  that  we  were  wrong,  and  that  it  was  a  slough,  l)ut  I 
knew  that  we  would  come  out  somewhere.  About  two 
o'clock  we  passed  thnmgh  a  little  creek  and  there  we  were, 
back  at  our  old  camping  ground. 

(X75) 


176 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GoM)    KlKl.DS. 


Well,  we  ^ot  out  of  tliiit  and  crossed  the  mouth  of  the 
8louj>;h,  iiiul  as  we  rowed  up  alou^  shore  we  came  Ix)  another 
slough,  but  there  seemed  to  be  some  eurreiit  there  so  we 
rowed  in.  It  was  dead  water  on  our  rif,'ht,  but  inside  was 
another  narrow  entrance  with  a  lon<r  sand  bar  across  its 
mouth  from  one  side,  while  on  the  otlier  the  bank  was 
washed  out,  twelve  or  lifteen  feet,  leaving  the  sod  on  top 
thickly  covered  with  trees  leady  to  drop  any  moment. 
This  we  noticed  as  we  were  coming  back,  when  we  struck 
on  a  current  from  this  slough.  I  made  up  my  n)ind  to  go 
in  there,  for  it  seemed  as  if  the  current  was  too  swift  for 
a  slough. 

It  was  about  time  to  (iim|),  so  we  ventured  in  and  found 
a  good  i)lace  to  set  up  the  tent.  There  wc  held  council. 
Was  this  the  little  river  or  not  ^  All  signs  pointed  that 
way.  so  we  decided  to  go  ahead  and  turn  in  for  the  night. 
Wc  heard  the  stcaiucrs  us  they  ])uffed  and  rattled,  going 
up  ilic  main  river.  Hyan  tried  to  hail  them,  but  they  citluir 
didn't  hear  or  didn't  want  to,  so  he  came  back  to  the  tent 
wishing  some  one  woidil  give  ns  a  tow  next  morning. 

'I'lie  more  I  thought  of  it,  tlic  more  I  felt  convinced  we 
wert:  right,  for  I  could  see  a  stiong  cnrnint.  The  ri\('r 
was  very  nari'ow  l»nt  we  staited  along  and  were  pleased  to 
lind  that  it  was  easy  to  work:  it  was  very  crooked  but 
this  is  the  salvation  of  the  hauling  boat,  for  there  are  sand 
beaches  to  work  on,  and  as  the  river  was  low  we  made 
good  time. 

We  saw  our  usual  landmaiks  oi  tent  stakes  iind  steam- 
boat wood,  and  on  the  third  morning  we  met  the  steamer 
Kyle  cruising  after  breakdowns,  or,  in  fact,  for  anything 
that  they  could  stiueeze  an  exorbitant  price  out  of,  for 
there  was  no  limit  to  what  tliey  asked,  and  if  there  was 
no  money  no  help  need  be  expected  from  them.  They 
belonged  to  Arctic  City  and  were  the  founders  of  New 
Arctic  City.     They  hailed  us  but  we  had  notliing  for  them 


TH    I  fRSI     IM'IAN    TK.MEK-. 


ON    Till',    WAY   TO    AIICTIC   (MTV. 


177 


SO  they  pu.ssiMl  on  down  tin*  river,  U'lliiij;  lis  we  wore  alioiit 
ten  miles  I'l-o III  tlu-  inaiii  river.  ( )ii  the  foiirth  day  we 
eiiine  into  that  stream  and  had  a  \*>n^  strai<i[lit  reaeii  to  ^o 
tiiron<;li  :  the  hanks  on  eitiier  side  did  not  atTord  lis  any 
tloatiiig,  so  we  pushed  with  our  oars  and  rowed  until  we 
got  Ity  and  were  favoured  with  litllo  iietter  towing.  We 
passed  th(>  mouth  of  the  llogatiakaUai. 

One  day  we  iiad  a  good  strong  iiree/.e,  so  wo  set  our 
stpiare  sail  and  were  sailing  along  up  the  shore  in  good 
shape,  when  we  met  an  Indian  and  his  two  sons,  in  a 
poling  l)oat.  lie  seemed  to  he  very  intelligent  and  wanU^d 
to  trade  for  cartridges,  lloui',  tea  and  siigai'.  We  saw  a 
eaiioe  coming  down  on  lis  with  a  sipiaw  |)ropelliiig  it  against 
the  wind  and  the  wattsr  was  flying.  The  Indian  pointed 
toward  iier  and  said,  '•  She  cra/y.""  She  came  alongside 
with  two  young  .Maska  pups  in  the  canoe  for  sale,  hut  as 
we  had  no  use  for  dogs  just  then  we  could  not  niakt;  a 
trade.  Just  aioiiiul  the  point  was  his  shed  and  cache  and 
two  or  three  canoes.  The  canoes  were  evidently  owned 
by  the  s(|iiaws  as  they  seemed  to  he  the  main  ones  to  use 
them. 

As  we  rounded  the  point  the  wind  was  aiiead  and  we 
took  in  our  sail,  using  the  tow  rope  again.  The  Indian 
landed  with  his  hoys  and  the  s(|uaw  with  her  pups,  for 
which  she  asked  one  hundred  dollars  each,  the  Indian 
saying  she  could  get  it  any  time. 

A  team  of  these  dogs  is  very  valuable  in  winter  and 
almost  indispensable,  l)Ut  a  team  can  be  got  from  some  In- 
dians for  one  hundred  dollars.  These  dogs  have  to  lie  fed 
and  the  whites  eook  up  liacoii  for  tiiein  ;  the  Indians  some- 
times have  split  fish  and  sometimes  nothing,  so  he  likes  the 
white  man.  When  he  can't  feed  his  team  he  is  always 
ready  to  sell  for  what  he  can  get,  but  is  very  independent 
when  lie  has  [jlenty. 

One  night  we  eamiied  near  what  I  called  a  large  brook. 


178 


TO     Ilir,    ALASKAN    COM)    I'lKLDS. 


Wlu'ii  \\v  stiirlt'd  uiil  ill  tlif  iiKiiiiiiiH'  Li'iHij^e  Id'okr  liisuar 
iiimI  sve  liiid  tu  qo  Ittick  to  the  place  wv,  liiid  Utfl  uihI  ^o  to 
work  iiiakiii<;aii  our.  I  liiiiL.dit  liiiii  liow  to  liiuM>nt>  out  and 
111'  was  vi'i'v  miicli  pleased.  While  lie  was  iiiakiiij,'  it  Hyuii 
and  I  set  up  tlie  tent  and  cooked  the  meals.  It  took  all 
day  and  we  stayed  that  ui<«;ht. 

.\  liver  steamer  visited  us  at  tiiis  place,  sayin^r  they  were 
told  that  there  was  j>old  in  this  hrook,  and  they  wcMe  pros- 
J)ectiii<;.  I  think  they  had  heeii  watchiiii,''  lis  and  seeing- 
us  stop  iiiiairined  that  we  were  pidspectiii_i>' for  tlu-y  did  not 
stay  loii^  when  they  saw  tlu'  real  cause.  They  could  not 
tow  us  up  as  it  was  their  intention  to  prospect  aloii^'  the 
river  as  they  ascended. 

Next  iiiorniiit^'  we  were  away  a^'ain  with  a  new  oar  to 
help.  As  tliis  was  ill  August,  tiie  rainy  season  was  ahiiut 
setting'  ill  and  evciythiiii.'-  now  was  wet.  W'c  had  to  tent 
ill  the  wet  and  our  Hour  was  ijfetlinL;  wet.  lor  we  iiad  no 
tarpaulin  to  hiy  over  ji  and  the  ri\cr  was  risini;-. 

( )ne  day  we  were  lioardcd  hy  two  s(|iiaws  in  a  canoe  to 
tradt;:  they  wanted  Hour  Imt  we  could  not  spare  it  as  we 
did  not  know  how  iiiiicli  of  wiial  wc  had  was  dama^'ed. 
i.epaire  had  some  trinkets  lie  wanted  to  trade  for  a  iish, 
l)Ut  no,  they  were  not  \ain  :  a  pair  of  shears,  however. 
l)rou<rlit  the  lisli.  She  hrld  a  silver  dollar  in  her  hand 
wlijcli  she  olTered  for  some  Hour,  hut  we  could  not  part 
with  any,  so  they  [luslied  off  and  paddled  up  to  a  salmon 
trap  that  they  had  set  and  commenced  to  take  it  up,  for 
there  was  goiii<>'  to  he  a  Hood. 

One  ov  two  days  after  we  pitched  our  tent  at  the  month 
of  a  slough.  It  was  rainiujj;  veiy  hard  and  we  landed  for 
the  night.  We  had  pulled  our  boat  that  day  ahout  three 
miles,  hy  nieaiij  of  the  i)riiiiehes  of  trees  and  the  little  wil- 
lows that  grew  on  the  side  of  the  hank.  The  river  was 
rising  and  we  could  Hoat  amongst  them,  but  the  rush  ot 
water  that  surijed  dowii  nnule  it  diHicult  for  tis  to  make 


■t 


-)-f. 


•^r^' 


..■«■      .w^miii  nil    n  lillfff"W»»<| 


lAHIM  11    I^V    sill  \\\     IK.MMU' 


OS   THE    WAY   TO    ARCTIC   CITY. 


179 


Jiuicli  liciidwiiy,  so  we  i)itclied  our  tent  until   the   waters 
subsideil. 

The  ground  was  sw.unpy,  but  we  laid  spruce  limbs  to 
hold  us  u[)  ort  of  the  wet  and  that  made  it  quite  comfort- 
able. The  river  had  swollen  even  with  the  liank,  l)ut  so 
long  as  it  did  not  come  over  we  were  all  right.  Wo  met 
a  man  going  down  alore.  He  did  not  encourage  us  much, 
l)ut  lie  was  after  provisions,  he  said,  and  passed  on. 

The  rain  came  down  in  torrentvS  and  I  felt  that  we  would 
lose  all  of  our  Hour.  I  was  not  very  well  and  needed  a 
rest  of  three  or  fovir  days,  so  was  not  sorry  at  being  de- 
layed. While  l^epage  busied  himself  in  enlarging  the  sail 
and  making  new  spars,  I  got  ([uite  a  rest,  and  as  soon  as 
the  river  fell  enough  we  started  up  the  slough,  which  was 
not  very  long  and  had  a  rapid  across  its  entrance. 

We  had  to  cross  the  rapids  from  the  island  to  the  main 
l)ank.  It  was  shoal  water  on  the  bar,  but  below  us  were 
stumps  of  trees  [)ri)truding  out  of  the  water  that  wasseeth- 
hig  and  foaming  around  tliem,  plaiidy  showing  the  danger 
we  must  encounter  if  we  missed  the  bank.  1  knew  that 
we  would  reach  the  bank  if  the  current  did  not  throw  the 
boat's  head  down  stream.  The  boys  were  excited  and  liable 
to  make  a  l)lunder.  1  had  the  stern  pole,  as  usual,  and  they 
the  oars ;  so  wlun  we  were  ready  we  let  her  go.  She  fairly 
flew  acr(3ss  and  down  with  the  frothing  water,  but  I  kept 
my  pole  going  with  all  my  strength,  and  as  she  struck  the 
bank  with  her  bow  the  shock  nearly  threw  us  overboard, 
and  I.^')page  with  the  tow  rope  jumped  on  shore  and  got  a 
turn  around  a  stum[)  that  iield  her  fast. 

f^epage  never  gave  me  any  credit  in  tliis  exploit.  It 
was  too  risky — these  stumps  sticking  out  of  the  water.  I 
always  said  I  did  not  see  any  stumps,  so  no  more  could  be 
said  about  it,  for  we  had  been  in  just  as  great  danger 
before,  that  was  hidden  under  the  water  and  nothing 
was  thought  of  it.     We  could  have  dropped  back  out  of 


180 


TO   TKK   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLDS. 


the  slough  but  I  could  see  no  chance  on  the  other  side  of 
tins  island,  and  if  tiiere  had  been,  we  would  have  had  to 
cross  the  i'a])ids  just  the  same.  We  got  along  on  that 
shore  for  a  while  very  well.  I'^very  mile  counted  and  we 
kept  pulling  them  in.  Tiie  river  was  loweiing  very  rap- 
idly, tiie  weather  was  tine  again,  and  we  had  passed  the 
twenty-five  mile  reach. 

Ilei'C  we  had  some  hard  work  to  find  footing,  as  this 
was  a  long  straight  piece  of  river,  but  we  liad  managed  as 
the  river  was  Ic  ,v  and  we  could  get  l)ottom  along  the  shel- 
tering banks  lor  oui'  poles.  In  some  places  we  could  find 
a  shelf  that  we  could  walk  on  and  tow  ;  wiiile  ahead  with 
the  rope  Hyan  walked  off  one  of  these  into  the  river.  This 
accident  might  have  proved  serious  if  he  had  been  caught 
by  the  current,  but  he  got  a  hold  on  the  bank  and  saved 
himself.  The  shelf  he  was  walking  on  was  a  foot  or  more 
under  water,  and  as  it  was  rily  he  could  not  see  the  bot- 
ti  ni  and  walked  in.  We  laughed  at  Ryan  for  tlu;  wetting 
iie  got,  but  he  took  up  the  vn\)e  and  paddled    ii  again. 

One  night  when  we  landed  to  camj),  the  bank  was  thick- 
ly wooded  with  whitewood  and  alders.  Tlie  trees  had 
been  flooded  when  small  and  thei'c  was  a  complete  net- 
work of  them,  the  sauie  as  tall  grass  when  it  has  been 
Iteaten  down  by  a  heavy  rain.  With  our  axes  we  cut  out 
a  place  for  our  tent.  On  the  river  we  could  nf)t  always 
choose  a  good  place  to  tent,  lait  we  always  tried  to  cam[) 
among  the  spruce.  Occasionally  Ave  would  land  where 
the  bank  looked  all  right,  only  to  find  a  swamp  on  the  top 
or  perhaj)s  a  long  low  reach  where  nothing  but  willows 
grew. 

We  would  sometimes  find  the  banks  wet  and  soft,  so 
that  we  would  sink  down  nearly  to  our  knees,  but  we 
would  have  to  cami)  there  in  lieu  of  a  better  pl.'ice,  and 
cut  plenty  of  young  wilk)ws  to  floor  over  our  tent,  these 
in  most  cases  being  wet.     Still  tliis  floor  would  hold  us  up 


ON    THE   WAY   TO   AHCTIC   CITY. 


181 


out  of  the  mud.  Our  boat  was  one  mass  of  mud,  that  we 
had  carried  in  on  our  lioots,  although  we  tried  to  wash  it 
off.  An  Indian  landed  near  us  once,  claiming  that  he  was 
a  pilot  taking  a  boat  up  tlie  river  to  Arctic  Citj-.  He  said 
there  were  tive  steamers  on  sand  bars  l)etween  us  and  Arc- 
tic City.  When  asked  how  many  miles  we  were  from  that 
city — a  (|Uestion  tiiat  had  Iteen  asked  so  mai  y  times — he 
tried  to  explain  'n  crooking  his  clltow  in  and  out.  'i'liis 
meant  the  crooks  in  the  river  and  signitied  that  in  making 
one  mile  of  progress  it  was  necessary  to  travel  six  or  seven. 

These  Indians  could  never  deline  our  mile.  So  many 
crooks  of  the  elbow,  and  one  steamer  stop,  soniany  crooks, 
and  another  .steamer  stop,  was  the  way  tliey  exi)ressed 
themselves:  while  this  particidar  Indian  kept  count  on  his 
tingei's  of  the  number  (»f  steamers  aground  on  sand  banks. 
He  predicted  that  we  could  never  get  up  there.  "  Hv  and 
by  plenty  ice,  you  stop."  We  did  not  like  the  Indian's 
l)redietions.  for  we  felt  that  we  could  get  tliere.  He  left 
us,  passing  down  the  river.  A  boat  came  down  the  river 
and  hailed  us.  There  were  two  men  and  a  boy  in  this 
boat,  one  of  them  an  old  man.  wearing  an  army  oveicoat. 
lie  was  a  (i.  A.  H.  man  and  asked  us  where  we  were  iro- 
ing.  We  told  him  to  South  Forks,  for  that  was  wl.ere  we 
intended  to  go.  as  it  was  the  only  place  within  the  gold 
limit  that  we  knew  of.  He  advised  us  to  go  back,  saying 
there  was  no  gold  uji  there,  it  was  all  a  boom. — but  look- 
ing at  his  pick  and  shovel.  I  noticed  that  they  had  never 
been  used,  and  thought  to  myself  iiow  could  he  know 
whether  there  was  gold  or  not,  as  he  had  never  dug  for  it. 

While  he  was  coiivei-sing  with  us  the  Serenes  landed 
astern  of  U!=  a  little  distjuice,  and  our  visitors  dropped 
down  to  them  and  told  them  what  news  there  was  up  the 
river — that  the  ice  had  formed  and  was  quite  thick  in 
j)laces.  This  was  not  encouraging,  but  I  said,  "  Go  we 
will  until  the  ice  freezes  us  in,  and  then  we  w  ill  have  to 


182 


TO    THK    ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


stop,"  l)ut  the  Serenes  said  that  tliey  lia<l  a  secret  of  ;:rohI 
tiehls  and  were  willing  to  tell  us,  for  they  thought  we 
could  never  get  up  to  where  we  intended  to  go. 

If  all  reports  were  true,  this  secret  had  cost  them 
money.  They  would  tow  us,  but  we  would  have  to  go 
back  down  the  river  to  the  llogatiakakat  and  up  that 
river.  They  knew  where  to  Hud  the  spot.  They  had 
passed  the  river,  not  seeing  the  entrance  as  they  came  by, 
but  they  knew  it  was  below  them  now.  They  were  turn- 
ing back  to  find  it,  and  we  told  them  we  would  i-onsider 
the  matti'r.  They  said  they  did  not  want  to  intluence 
us  any.  but  simply  made  known  t<i  us  the  secret  through 
feelings  of  friendship,  so  wlien  we  went  back  to  camp  we 
talked  over  the  situation,  and  1  said  that  as  we  had  im 
particular  place  where  we  expected  to  lind  gold,  I  thought 
the  prospects  up  that  I'iver  were  as  good  as  on  any  other 
river,  and  we  had  the  tij),  why  not  go  with  chem  '.  'I'hey 
would  tow  us,  and  there  would  be  no  trouble.  Uvan 
thought  as  I  did,  but  Le[)age  wanted  to  be  contrary.  How- 
ever, we  notified  them  next  morning  that  we  would  go 
with  them.  It  being  Sunday,  we  had  intended  to  rest 
all  that  day,  \n\t  as  we  had  entered  a  new  scheme  we  mtist 
be  uj)  and  going  ;  so  we  dropped  down  on  to  the  Serenes 
and  made  fast.- 

"At  the  t4)ot  of  the  whistle  we  started  down  the  river, 
feeling  that  it  was  pleasant  to  have  a  tow,  as  we  laid 
back,  steered  our  boat,  and  enjoyed  the  idea  of  being  near 
our  journey's  end.  At  last,  about  fifty  miles  below,  we 
stopped  to  wood  up,  and  while  we  were  getting  wood  we 
saw  a  steamer  coming  up  the  river.  Two  of  the  men 
jumped  into  the  boat  to  board  her  for  letters.  She  proved 
to  be  the  Florence,  bound  up  to  Arctic  City  from  the  llo- 
gatiakakat They  had  men  up  there  prospecting,  but  they 
reported  nothing  there,  so  kei)t  on  for  Arctic  City. 

This  discouraged  the  Serenes,  and  t!iey  asked  for  a  t<»w,. 


ox   THE   WAY   TO    AHCTIC   CITY. 


183 


williuLr  tn  pay  any  ivasonahle  lute  for  their  freijrht  and  the 
launch.  I'hey  asketl  two  Imndred  and  fifty  dfdhirs.  which 
was  accepted.  Meanwhile  they  had  spoken  for  ns,  sayinir 
it  was  their  fanlt  in  Ljettinir  ns  down  the  river  airain,  and 
so  it  was  agreed  tu  tow  ns  u])  fifty  or  sixty  miles.  We 
acconlintjly  hitched  on  ontside  of  the  launch,  and  were 
soon  plousrhing  u|>  the  river  again. 

We  wei-e  supposed  to  cut  wood  and  help  do  the  work 
generally.  I.epage  and  Kyan  s\)\h  wood  all  that  night.  I, 
being  the  cook,  was  advised  to  stay  on  our  own  boat.  Next 
day  we  lande<l  for  wood.  Our  boat  was  on  the  side  tliat 
came  next  to  the  Ijank.  I  tried  to  drop  her  astern  as  we 
sheered  into  the  bank,  but  other  ropes  were  hitched  over 
our  bow-line,  so  that  we  could  not  clear  them  in  time,  and 
having  no  knife  to  cut  it,  we  were  jammed  into  the  bank 
by  the  Floi"enoe — our  old  boat  closing  up  like  a  book,  and 
our  thwarts  protruding  through  the  plank. 

I  tlnmght  it  was  the  last  of  the  old  ^lary  Ann,  as  we 
called  her.  The  water  rushed  in  from  most  everywhere, 
and  all  I  could  do  was  to  bail  it  out  as  fast  as  I  could. 
After  the  fii-st  shock  the  steamer  swung  off  a  little — 
enough  to  free  us,  and  we  got  our  boat  out  and  dropped 
astern.  The  captjun  was  a  jolly,  good-natured  man,  and 
stood  by  us.  but  his  brother,  who  was  president  of  the 
compan\ ,  was  not  like  him  a  bit,  and  seemed  to  have  a 
dislike  for  us.  The  rest  of  the  company  did  not  want  to 
tow  us  up  the  river,  I)eing  a  selfish  lot^  but  no  worse  than 
the  rest  of  the  steamboat  men  on  the  river.  They  were 
extending  the  iiel(-ing  hanil  oidy  in  cases  where  there  were 
dollars. 

The  captain  told  me  to  drop  our  boat^alongside  of  their 
lighter  and  take  out  part  of  our  cai'go,  for  the  Mary  Ann 
was  leaking.  This  I  did.  The  accident  insured  us  a  tow 
up  to  AiTtic  City,  some  of  the  ci.mpany  speaking  very 
feelingly  alM)ut  the  matter.     We  were  two  days  here  get- 


184 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLDS. 


tiiiff  \v()(i(l,  iiinl  tlieii  stiirtcd  from  tlie  \nii\k  in  tlie  mori  iiii; 
tor  11])  sti'i'iiin.  Tlie  Floivncx'  was  a  n'ctod  lioat,  with  idciity 
oi'  ])()wer,  and  we  did  some  |.i'etty  j^ood  work  lluit  day. 
Tliere  were  two  [)il()t.s  on  hoard.  Tiie  ohler  man's  name 
was  Magratli.  They  had  l)eeii  (h)wn  to  N'iihit(»  for  provis- 
ions, heiiic:,  as  tliey  chiimed,  ohl  timers  on  tiie  river;  and 
I  <;'iiess  they  were  on  the  Imioiii.  'I'iiey  enyaired  to  run 
tills  steamer  up  to  Airtic  (Jity,  and  had  kept  elear  of  a.ll 
sand  l)aiiks  so  i'ar,  the  captain  said,  and  they  had  heeii 
riinniiii:'  niyht  and  day. 

I)iit  as  the  days  l)ei>an  to  slioilen  the  iiiyiits  were  (|iiito 
dark,  and  it  was  risky  to  iim.  'I'lie  eaptain  told  me  that 
he  and  ids  hrother  owned  the  hoat.  She  was  Imill  in  San 
Fraiieisco,  and  sailed  11])  to  St.  Michaels  schooner-riyt^'ed. 
lie  had  uot  alon<>-  lirst-rate  tliere  with  his  company.  'J'lieii, 
when  they  chaiij^ed  her  into  a  steamer  and  had  n'ot  land 
on  each  side  of  them  on  the  rivi-r,  they  hroke  up  all  dis- 
ciiiline  and  hccamc  iiiimanayeahle — his  hrother  as  had  as 
the  rest.  "  IJut,"  said  he,  '•lam  skipper  of  tills  iioat, 
and  1  will  never  cast  yoii  off." 

<  hie  niii'ht,  as  we  warv  lookiii";;  for  a  [)lace  to  anchor,  it 
was  netting'  ([uite  darU,  an<l  the  jiilots  thouifht  it  best  to 
follow  the  channel  across  to  the  other  hanl<  and  iret  an 
aiiehoraufe  there.  There  was  (|iiite  a  lii<:h  mouiitaiii.  and 
land  loomed  up  deceivinoly,  so  they  misjudired  the  land- 
mark and  plunked  the  hoat  on  to  a  sand  liar,  where  she 
lay  across  the  current,  and  the  harder  we  worked  her  the 
farther  she  iiot  on. 

We  worked  all  night,  Imt  it  was  no  use.  The  captain 
said  he  would  li<>hten  her,  and  hy  the  time  he  got  ready 
the  river  had  lowered  so  that  they  could  wade  aroiiml  the 
hoat.  She  was  hard  and  fast,  and  they  could  not  get  the 
weight  off  (|uick  enough  to  tloat  her.  We  rowed  on  shore 
with  the  old  Mary  Ann,  where  I  stayed  all  day  and  did  the 
<M)oking.     There    were    ]ilenty  of  gnats,   hut  I  kept  up  a 


THE   FLnKKNCE    ON    A    SAN1>-I;AU. 


ON   THK    WAY   To    ARCTIC   CITY. 


18') 


smoke  that  drove  them  away,  anil  after  the  lM)y.s  had 
worked  three  days  helpiiijr  to  discharge  the  Kloreiice,  I 
saw  tiiat  sli«   would  not  Moat  a^'ain  tnr  some  time. 

.Ma^nath  told  me  that  the  river  miglit  not  rise  ennugli 
that  tall  to  thiat  her,  and  tiiey  were  titling  out  tiieir  lannth, 
jHitting  a  boiler  and  engine  on  her,  in  ca.se  tlie  Fiorenee 
did  not  tloat.  So  I  called  the  boys  in  and  told  them  I 
thought  they  had  done  wnrk  enough  t«i  pay  fur  our  tow, 
and  we  hauled  in  the  ohi  Mary  .\nn.  gave  her  a  good 
rtashing  out,  packed  our  goods  in  again,  an<l  im  the  next 
morning  early  crossed  the  river  uiuler  the  stern  of  the  Flor- 
ence, and  soon  hud  the  tow-rope  again  in  operation,  drag- 
ging our  boat  up  the  river.  Magrath  told  us  that  we  had 
one  himdred  and  eighty  miles  to  go.  that  when  we  got  to 
Hughes'  bar — a  eertiiin  hmdmark — we  would  Ik*  sixty-five 
miles  from  Arutii-  City,  true  measurement. 

Hughes  was  u  hermit  and  lived  down  there  in  his  shack 
alone.  Me  always  had  gold,  and  it  was  supposed  he  got 
it  out  of  that  bar,  i)Ut  after  a  time  he  went  insane,  and 
was  taken  to  Dawson,  where  he  was  cared  for.  Many 
prospectore  tried  this  l)ar  in  vain,  l)ut  no  gold  to  amount 
to  anything  was  found  there. 

Red  Mountain,  just  above,  was  another  landmark  on  the 
river.  We  figured  how  long  it  would  take  us  to  get  up 
to  Hughes"  bar,  and  felt  encouraged  ag:iin.  One  day  we 
saw  a  little  steamer  coming  up  the  river,  which  landed 
just  below  us,  and  we  heard  some  guns.  We  sent  Kyan 
down  to  the  bank  to  ask  for  a  tow.  but  he  was  refused 
under  some  pretence  or  other,  and  came  back  (|uite  disap- 
pointed, but  I  saiil  if  we  got  up  the  river  we  had  no  one 
to  thank,  for  they  had  all  passed  and  left  us  ])y  the  way- 
side. 

We  found,  on  account  of  the  river  l)eing  low.  we  had 
good  poling  and  footing.  Magrath  had  told  us  we  would 
have  a  good  bank  all  the  rest  of  the  wa\ .  w  ith  very  few 


I8t; 


TO   Till",    ALASKAN    (■»)!, 1)    KIKM)S. 


('X(V|)(ioiis.  We  siiw  11  roii|)l(f  nC  slioct  iron  Itoiits  alifiid, 
tliL'  nc'L'iipaiits  of  \vlii<'li  were  rnokiiii;'.  We  caiiK'  up  to 
tlieiii  iukI  t'oiiud  (licy  IicIoii^cmI  to  the  Alaska  I'liioii  ( 'oin- 
jiauy,  n'oiiii,'  out  to  tlic  Slatrs  to  sell  shares  in  some  <,nvat 
;l^o1(1  liiid.  'I'licv  IukI  laiilt  a  city  and  t-allcil  it  I'nioii  Cily, 
and  advised  us  to  ^o  np  to  Sontii  Folks. 

\\\'  left  tlicMi,  tliiid<inii-  liow  liappy  tliey  nnist  lie.  Here 
tliey  were  ufoiiiu'  l)aek  lo  llie  States  witii  i^ood  news,  and 
we  were  jnst  eoniini;'  in.  Anyhow,  we  wonid  see  the 
States  ai;'ain  some  day,  and  so  we  kept  on  rowiiiLj  a,inl 
pushing'.  I  lielieve  it  was  on  that  same  (hiy  that  1  walked 
oil'  of  a  siu'lf  and  ^dt  a  n'ood  dnekinn'.  as  yood  as  the  old 
Diver  j^ave  us.  'I'lic  hoys  shouted  !ind  lauii'hed,  lint  I.  like 
K'yan.  took  up  my  rope  and  plodded  (MI  aii'ain.  'I'hey 
wanted  nie  to  put  on  dry  clothes  aLjain,  hut  I  windd  not 
stop,  so  we  went  on. 

The  next  afternoon  we  iiad  to  cross  the  river  to  an  island 
where  we  (duld  ii'et  n'ood  footing'.  'I'lierc  was  ipiilea  iiiiih 
mountain  there,  with  the  main  (diamu'l  close  to  it.  and  a 
loUiT  har  crossed  from  the  island  nearly  to  tiie  main  liank  : 
a  fearfiU  current  was  rushini,'  across  it.  I'his  bar  was  not 
smooth  bottom,  hut  very  uucei'taiu,  full  of  irullies  and 
hummocks.  It  was  a  wicked  lookinir  place,  hut  we  would 
have  to  get  over  it  :  it  was  our  only  hope. 

We  sent  l{yan  out  ahead  with  tlu;  I'ope,  and  j)ushe<l  and 
pulled,  sometimes  the  itoat  was  alloat,  then  .as  (|ui(d<  as 
thought  it  wouhl  he  ajjfrouiid  on  a  hiuiunoek.  I  was  wor- 
ried and  tired  out,  hnt  I  ordered  all  overhoiird  to  push. 
We  could  hardly  stand  in  the  water  it  was  so  swil't,  irully- 
in<r  the  sand  and  stones  from  under  our  feet.  We  would 
soon  be  down  to  our  boot  tops.  I  called  Ryan  in  witli  the 
rope  ;  he  could  do  l»nt  little,  as  lie  was  afraid  of  walking 
into  some  of  tlie  gullies,  and  he  knew  that  would  be  tlie 
last  of  him,  so  he  came  in,  and  we  handled  the  boat  much 
better,  and  got  her  over  the  har.     'I'his  was  really  our  tirst 


WOUKINIi    HIE':    KAl'lDS. 


ON    THK    WAY    T<>    AKCTIC    CITY. 


lH"i 


rapiil.  iiiul  it  was  ii  )»it'tty  swill  (tiic  Wi-  wcif  (lom-  iij) 
and  fiiiinpcd. 

Ah  Honii  as  we  <;«»t  to  the  land  we  had  Nitppcrand  ajroiid 
nij,'lit's  rest.  I  f(ir<ro(  Id  niftition  tliat  tlu'  Sncncs  put 
tlit'ir  frciylit  on  the  steamer  Kvle  al'lcr  st'ttlin^f  v  itli  tlie 
Klcirenee  people,  and  started  (itT  witli  tlieir  empty  laiinelies 
utter  biddiniT  ns  yood-ln-,  saving  they  woidd  meet  ns  in 
Arctic  City. 

Wo  kept  |)lod(liiii.'  alf)n«>'  slowly,  with  few  mishaps. 
The  morninfrs  were  irettinir  <<>ld  and  t'losty,  and  the  ice 
coidd  he  seen  on  the  liml)s  and  spiiirs  that  hun^r  in  the 
water.  My  hands  and  arms  were  chilled  away  up  to  my 
shoulders  from  handlinjf  a  wet  pole,  and  our  toes  he<;an  to 
le(il  the  frosty  moriunjfs.  We  landed  at  noontime  now  and 
laiilt  a  lire  to  eat  onr  dinner.  Some  moriiin<;s  were  ([uite 
chilly  when  there  was  any  wind. 

One  niornini>'  we  passed  an  Indian  villa<>e,  and  were  sur- 
prised to  see  all  the  little  Indians,  with  iiothinj;  to  cover 
their  nid<edness  except  a  short  deerskin  Mouse  (h)wn  to 
their  waists.  I  was  chilled  with  the  cli»thes  I  had  on  :  in 
fact  I  wore  all  I  could  work  under,  with  hip  ruhher  Ixxtts. 
There  were  none  of  the  male  Indians  to  he  seen  now,  for 
they  were  all  away  on  the  hunt  for  deer,  whose  hides  were 
indispensable  for  clothes,  which  the  Indians  said  were 
warm  in  winter  and  cool  in  sunnner.  The  squaws  were 
fishinjj  and  tendinp^  the  papi)ooses.  The  Indian  would 
start  out  with  his  <run  and  (h>g,  without  any  provisions,  it 
heinjr  too  much  like  a  .s(juaw  to  take  any,  and  he  and  his 
d()f>'  would  i)e  some  days  without  food,  iiut  when  he  shot  a 
deer  then  he  had  a  feast. 

One  day,  in  rounding  the  point  of  a  sand  bar,  Lepage 
and  Kyan,  by  not  following  up  my  instructions,  both 
walked  off  the  gidlied  side  of  the  bar,  and  were  lucky 
enough  to  cling  to  the  side  of  the  boat,  which  went  drift- 
ing down  the  river  again.     I   helped  them  into  the  boat, 


188 


T(»   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLDS. 


and  when  tliey  got  up   to  the  har   ajruiii   they  were  more 
careful  to  do  the  riylit  thing. 

There  were  no  more  ini.shai)s,  and  one  day  we  fountl 
ourselves  treadiuff  llu<>hes'  l)ar.  We  saw  his  old  luml)le- 
down  shaek.  which  was  in  a  tine  location,  and  I  thoutfht 
how  lonely  the  time  must  have  been  with  hini. — so  far 
from  .any  other  inhaliitant.  Vet  here  was  the  bar  he  had 
dug  over  every  year,  and  here  was  the  shack  when;  he  had 
hoar(le<l  his  goh'.  Hadn't  his  wakeful  niglits  hecn  tor- 
mented with  thoughts  of  rol)l)ers  f  lladiTt  he  started  at 
the  sound  of  every  leaf  that  rustled  in  the  wind  '.  Hark  I 
it  was  tiic  approach  of  those  who  would  kill  him  for  his 
gold,  and  he  would  hasten  to  the  dooi',  draw  the  hars  and 
close;  tht^  windows.  'I'lieie  was  no  one  in  I  luglics"  shack. 
No  wonder  he  went  insane,  l)Ut  now  lie  is  well  cared  for. 
We  did  not  stop  to  try  a  pan  here,  iait  kept  right  on.  as 
we  wei'c    making  good    time   and   the   wind   was   i)lo\>int>- 

C(.ld. 

One  noontime  we  landed  on  a  rocky  liar  under  a  high 
mountain  that  came  down  into  the  river,  and  all  the  wasii 
of  this  mountain  from  the  \erv  sunnnit  was  precij)itatcd 
int'i  the  river.  'I'here  W(!re  large  boulders  half  way  dow  n 
that  looked  ready  to  start  any  Miome"t.  I  was  sitting  in 
the  i)ow,  with  my  legs  over  the  sides,  eating  my  cold  lunch 
of  panciikes  and  fried  bacon,  when  I  saw  something  glitter- 
ing in  the  water,  and  reaching  down  1  j)ulled  out  a  |iei)bl(i 
with  the  mark  of  gold  across  it.  Ves,  it  was  gold  ;  and  I 
found  another  which  looked  as  though  it  had  been  forced 
over  a  lumi)  of  gold  by  the  current,  and  having  been 
pressed  hard  on  to  it  by  tlie  weight  of  the  other  [)elil)les 
hfid  got  this  nia>'k — a  (juavter  of  an  inch  wide  and  an  ineli 
and  a  half  long. 

I  showed  it  to  the  boys.  They  saw  it  was  gold  but 
wanted  to  go  on,  now  we  were  so  near  Arctic  Cit  This 
was  l{ed   Mountain  and  the  vicinity  was  called  die   Red 


ON    THiO    WAY   TO   AKCTU"   CITY. 


.18» 


Laiitls.  We  went  on  until  we  met  the  steam  launch  Mitcli- 
ell,  whose  crew  was  tenting,  and  we  joined  tliem.  There 
was  an  island  in  tlie  centre  of  tlie  river  and  the  main  clian- 
nel  was  on  the  other  side  of  this  isUiiid. 

The  Mitoiell  crew  claimed  we  were  ahout  t«  n  miles  From 
Arctic  City,  which  was  jfood  news  to  iis.  Tliey  wore  sur- 
prised when  we  told  them  we  came  all  of  the  way  iqi  in 
oni'  l)oat,  unaided  hy  anyone  ;  for  we  cousidercil  the  Flor- 
ence had  only  towed  us  (ifty  miles  in  suiiimiui>- up  the  time 
we  were  with  her.  The  Mitchell  saw  th  ■  Floicncc  upon 
the  har,  l.ijrh  and  dry,  and  tl>cy  were  [)Uttiu!4  astern  wheel 
on  their  launch.  I  ilid  not  wonder  at  tlicir  misiiaps.  tor 
they  were  a  very  jtrofiuic  set  of  men  and  I  didn't  iielicve 
that  they  would  ever  irct  up  the  river. 

There  was  another  stcauiltoat  anchdrcd  liclow  us.  which 
proved  to  he  the  I.uella.  She  prohalily  had  hecii  a<:rouud 
since  we  saw  her  last  and  had  [lassed  her  ^ouk'  of  these 
boats  were  handled  (pieer -orders  were  nivcn  iiut  none 
heeded  them.  I  saw  an  Indian  for  a  [)ilot  wno  could  not 
talk  Kuirlish,  and  as  he  could  not  understand  what  was 
said  hy  the  crowd  he  had  his  own  way.  lie  couhl  not  steer, 
l)ut  i)ointed  out  the  channel  like  an  old-fashioned  compass, 
[)()intin<f  from  one  side  to  the  other  and  tiually  n'ot  on  a 
sand  hank  which  he  claimed  wasn't  there  the  year  hefiae. 
That  explanation  saved  liini  from  an  exasperated  set  of 
men  who  wanted  to  put  him  and  his  dogs  overboard  while 
they  turned  their  attention  to  the  work  of  ire  tiuij-  their 
boat  aHoat. 

It  was  believed  by  the  new  comer.<  that  tiie  sand  bars 
would  change  in  a  year,  but  such  was  not  the  case — the 
pilot  making  use  of  that  loophole  to  ^^ave  his  reputation. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  bars  change  in  time-  always 
doiuir  so  as  the  current  washes  awav  the  side  of  the  chan- 
nel,  but  nt)t  to  the  extent  of  shutting  you  out  from  the 
same  channel  you  navigated  the  year  l)efoi"e. 


190. 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIKLDS. 


Tlie  .Mitchell  got  ofr  aliead  of  us  iiiul  crossed  to  the  other 
side.  We  Ijeard  them  ixjuiidiiii;'  on  some  iron,  hut  what 
the  tr()iil)le  was  we  did  not  know.  As  we  were  packing  our 
tent  in  the  hoat  tiie  l^uella  came  in  siglit  and  got  to  tlie 
point  of  the  island.  1  heard  a  great  smash  on  hoard  of 
her,  like  a  ton  «)f  iron  crashing  through  her  timhers. 
Everyhody  seemed  to  turn  out  and  they  were  trying  to 
clear  tiieii'  anchor,  hut  did  not  get  it  o*  er;  so  they  went 
drifting  down  the  river,  i)lowing  their  signals  of  distress. 
I  could  do  uotiiing  t*)  help  them  witii  a  row  hoat,  and  the 
Mitchell  did  not  attempt  to,  so  \vc  went  on  up  the  river, 
p.assing  the  Mitcliell,  whicli  had  .sent  a  hoat  out  prospect- 
ing and  to  find  a  place  where  they  could  get  wood. 


CIIAPTEI5  XI. 

A    WlNTKl:    IN    I'.KAVKl:    <  ITY. — 11'   TIIK    ALLKNKAKAT    To 

'MIKl-l'    MK    .lACK." — STAKK     A    CLAIM    <)N    MC  AI.l'lNE 

CltKKK.  —  IJllLO   «tLI:    SHArlv. — AN    ATTACK     <)I' 

THK     ScritVV     AND     A     STKLUiGLK     WITH 

DICATH.  —  MANY  TALES  <»1"  WOE. 


I  expeotfcl  to  arrive  in  Arctic  City  the  next  day, 
and  so  the  next  niornintj  we  started  out  with  lijrht 
hearts.  Noon  came  and  no  Arctic  City.  Had  we  been 
deceived  f  Hut  no:  there  came  the  sound  of  a  steam 
saw-mill  on  the  wind,  and  we  trndired  along  brisker.  We 
heard  no  more  of  the  mill  and  I  hegan  to  tliiuk  it  was  <ome 
steamer  up  some  sloujifh  sawinjr  wood,  when  I  looked  up 
and  saw  on  two  hii,di  poles,  "Arctic  City."  "Here  we 
are,  boys!"  I  cried,  and  we  hauled  our  boats  up  amoujj: 
the  others  that  lined  the  l»anks. 

The  Serenes  came  to  meet  us  and  took  us  into  th'ir  tent, 
and  a  hot  c\ip  of  l)eef  tea,  with  irrannlated  potatoes,  bread, 
lt\itter  and  coffee  were  very  refreshin«ir.  They  were  mov- 
ing their  goods  up  tc  the  new  shack  they  liad  built,  having 
1  rived  throe  weeks  in  advance  of  us.  They  liad  their 
launch  hauled  up  in  winter  (juavL^rs  and  had  built  a  shack. 
We  were  to  go  up  the  AUenkakat  ')ne  hundrerl  and  twenty 
rjiles,  and  after  that  thirty  miles  ui-  tiie  '•  I'.'lp  Me  Jack" 
if  there  was  water  enough. 

Mr.  Cox,  president  of  tlu  \yle  party,  had  men  up  there 
prospecting,  and  from  lliem  we  could  get  all  the  informa- 
tion that  we  wanted.     Tiiis  party  nundiered  twenty-six  and 

{•9') 


192 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD    FIELDS. 


was  a  very  l)iisy  lot.  Tliev  founded  New  Aietic  City,  lia<l 
a  saw  luill  and  were  all  litted  ont  to  snpply  any  party  that 
came  there.  They  had  men  in  dill'erent  seetions  pros|)eetr 
ing  and  were  willintr  to  <;ive  ns  the  tiji  uj)  the  "  Help  .Me 
Jack."  I  had  intended  to  rest  a  week  here,  l)nt  was  told 
that  tlie  sooner  we  started  up  the  river  the  iietter.  as  the 
AUenkakat  was  very  htw.  They  advised  ns  to  litfjiten  our 
hoat  ;  we  ■  'odd  store  our  goods  in  with  the  Serenes",  and 
two  days  \i  r  ■'  '  couhl  have-  lor  rest.  In  that  time  we 
lightened  out  .0  al)out  ten   inehes  draught,   and  the 

Serenes  had  loaded  two  little  sheet  iron  hoats  tiiat  they 
liad. 

As  we  were  ail  ready  we  struck  tents  and  started  tor 
the  Allenkakal — eighteen  miles  above  Arctic  City.  The 
Serenes  went  along  witii  tlieir  hoats  like  a  lot  of  young 
colts.  \Ve  were  like  old  army  horses — not  fresh,  hut  knew 
our  husiuess  vheu  we  came  to  it.  We  made  the  mouth 
of  the  AUenkakat  and  turned  U|)  that  stream,  seeing  on 
the  way  die  steamer  Kclipse  iiauled  up  in  winter  (piarters. 
This  hrought  the  Hlackhurn  party  from  (iloucester.  Tiiey 
iiad  gone  up  the  river  in  dories  hefoiv  we  left  .\rctic  City. 
I  was  cliosen  captain  of  the  party  ami  I  i)lew  my  whistle 
on  starting  in  the  morning,  on  stopping  and  starting  up 
again  at  noon,  and  on  stop[)iug  at  nigiit.  So  I  kept  them 
going,  just  the  same  as  I  did  wiien  1  was  alone  with  our 
own  boat. 

In  the  party  was  a  young  Swede- -a  smart  young  man 
with  all  the  knowledge  of  I'ivers  an<l  farms  and  ships.  He 
thought  tliat  I  worked  them  a  little  hard.  I  said  notiiing 
hut  went  ahead.  We  soon  heard  a  great  roaring,  as  if 
Niagara  had  lirokcn  loose.  This  was  a  warning  of  what 
there  was  ahead  for  ns  to  hattle  witii.  They  were  the 
first  rapids  on  this  river,  and  they  were  a  lieree-looking 
sight  when  we  came  in  view  of  them.  I  looked  for  a  way 
to  get  cleiir  of  tliem  and  found  water  eiiougii  to  draw  our 


A    WINTEK    iX    BKAVEU   CITY. 


103 


l»oatB  over  where  it  was  nut  so  rocky.     We  entered  smooth 
water  again  after  crossing  these  rapids. 

I  saw  that  this  rixer  reiiuircd  a  different  method  of  nav- 
iiT'iting  and  made  new  phms  from  the  tu-st  rapids.  It  was 
always  woim*  on  the  side  where  the  channel  rnn.  Imt  we 
couhl  tind  a  hole  through  ou  the  other  side.  I  liked  this 
river,  for  all  of  us  were  walking  right  on  the  river  bottom, 
and  when  we  got  over  the  rapids  we  had  dee|i  water  and 
smooth  sailing.  The  liottom  was  of  small  white  [»el)liles — 
some  of  them  very  l)eautiftd.  One  day  I  picked  up  two 
moss  ag-ates  larger  than  my  tlnuul).  One  was  a  hcanty. 
If  I  had  had  time  to  look  I  might  have  foinul  many  more, 
hut  in  towing  <me  mnldn't  see  w  .       was  nnder  his  tei-t. 

Lepage  Itegan  to  disohey  my  orde>  ;  and  wanted  to  show 
what  he  knew,  hut  the  Serenes  took  no  notice  of  him.  for 
he  was  not  generally  liked  among  tlie  men.  1  liad  l)Utone 
row  with  him.  and  that  was  when  he  tried  to  get  the  mm 
to  take  his  way,  which  would  have  swung  the  Ixtat  acnjs> 
the  rajtids  and  proliahly  have  capsi/ed  her,  with  the  inci- 
dental result  of  hurting  two  or  three  of  the  men.  After 
letting  them  know  that  she  should  go  ahead  further,  they 
did  as  I  hade  them,  ami  we  got  through  all  right.  Then 
I  explained  to  them,  that  although  I  was  a  little  rough  on 
them  l)ecause  they  got  over  their  hoot-to[is,  1  was  standing 
in  tlie  stern  and  could  see  the  trouhle.  We  had  their 
bojits  in  tow  ami  hadn't  got  througii  the  pass  yet.  Had 
Lei>age  attempted  to  swing  the  head  of  our  l)oat  across  the 
stream,  it  wuuhl  have  thrown  us  down  across  the  ra[»ids. 
for  as  soon  as  the  current  caught  the  other  Ijow  nothing 
could  have  held  her. 

After  this  I  heard  no  more  from  Lepage,  hut  he  was 
jealous  t«t  hear  another  [iniised.  lie  was  a  good  man  in  a 
lK>at,  so  long  as  the  hoat  was  going  all  right,  l>ut  would 
get  excited  and  throw  up  evervthing  if  there  was  danger. 
This  is  wkit  I  did  not  like  in  him.      I  saw  a   little  of  this 


VM 


TO   TIIK    ALASKAN    (iol.l*    KIKLDS. 


on  tilt'  river  wliuii  In;  was  steering-  mid  tlit'  waves  wiislied 
ill  lis  we  t'uU'iL'il  ii  ri|).  Ife  dropiicd  tlic  stcorino'  and  ran 
t'orwiiid.  as  tiial  part  was  ncan'sl  tlir  slioic,  ifady  to  jump 
as  the  boat  hroaclied  to.  I  soized  tlii'  ludni  and  steered  iier 
out  of  tlie  rip,  and  could  but  feel  a  little  distrusted  witli  this 
act,  yt't  lie  was  trying  to  make  i)eople  believe  he  was  a 
i^'i'eat  lioatiuan. 

There  was  no  more  trouble  alter  that  and  we  went  up 
the  river  in  n'reat  shape.  These  rapids  that  we  ascended 
had  H  fall  of  as  much  as  six  feet,  and  some  were  very  dil'li- 
cult  to  climb.  There  were  many  Indian  villaires  alonii' the 
AUenkakal,  for  there  was  Lfood  lisliiii<;-.  We  saw  two  ca- 
noes with  sipiaws  setting  a  net,  and  in  live  or  ten  minutes 
it  was  taken  up  and  landed  full  of  tisli.  They  hail  a  heap 
of  tisli  on  shore  which  froze  as  soon  as  landed  and  were 
sorted  out — some  for  the  dogs  and  others  jait  in  the  cache. 
An  old  Indian  sat  on  the  shore' .smoking  his  [lipe  and  watch- 
ing the  s(piaws  catch  the  fiisli. 

Ice  was  making  fast  along  tiie  shore  and  was  <[uite  tlii(d< 
in  dead  water.  The  river  was  getting  lower  and  some  of 
the  rapids  wi  had  to  launch  our  boat  over.  We  passed 
many  boats  in  their  winter  ipiarters.  The  .leiiny  M., 
which  was  on  a  sand  bai',  was  considered  .sixty  miles  below 
the  "Help  Me  .lack.''  We  passed  by  her,  and  next  we  met 
a  tall  Indian  standing  on  a  ro(d\  with  a  long  yellow  blan- 
ket over  his  shoulders  and  a  pi^je  made  of  a  hra.ss  cartridge 
in  bis  mouth — a  noi)le  specimen  of  the  Red  Man.  I  lis 
hand  was  extended  for  toll  and  one  of  the  Serenes  pre- 
sented him  with  a  hand  of  tobacco  which  seemed  to  please 
him  very  much. 

Aground  on  the  bar  were  his  three  logs,  pinned  together 
by  pieces  running  across  them.  One  end  of  tiie  logs  was 
close  together,  while  the  other  end  was  s[)read  a[)art,  form- 
ing a  wedge,  and  across  the  center  was  iiis  seat.  He 
smiled  on  us  as  we  passed  him.      We  got  over  these  rapids 


A    WINTER    IN   BEAVKR   CITY. 


196 


iind  passed  on  up  tlie  river.  The  iiionniijpi  were  now  <|nite 
cold  and  the  ice  was  so  thiek  in  phices  that  our  hoat  was 
almost  (lit  throiit^li  and  was  leakinij. 

I  low  lieaiititul  the  mountains  hooked  in  the  shmting 
rays  of  the  h)w  sun,  for  it  was  jrettinj^  towards  the  end  of 
Septeml)er  and  we  had  ([uite  L>n<r  iiiirhts  now.  Tliese  nioun- 
tiiiiis  I  tlioiif^ht  wouhl  liave  made  a  most  lieantiful  picture 
— so  iiiany  shades  and  rich  colois.  We  fell  in  company 
with  anotiier  hoat  Jjoin;^  up  to  IJeaver  City — a  name  I  had 
never  heard  mentioned  until  we  were  on  the  AUenkakat. 
It  was  at  the  numth  of  tlie  "Help  .Me  Jack"  and  was 
founded  by  a  company  of  l»eavei"s  from  whom  it  took  its 
name.  We  were  told  tliat  in  another  day  we  would  see 
Heaver  City ;  and  sure  enoii<rli  as  another  day  dawne<l  we 
could  sec  the  smoke  of  the  city  and  iiear  the  Uoaring  l>ull 
ra[)ids — the  last  rapids  we  luul  to  tackle. 

-\s  it  was  nijrht  we  thoufrht  we  would  camp  and  go  in 
next  morning;  so  next  morning  we  weif  on  our  way  to- 
ward the  Roaring  Hull,  which  roaivfl  the  louder  the  nearer 
we  came,  and  frothed  and  foanuMl.  Hut  I  saw  how  to  get 
through  and  did  so  with,  very  little  troul)le.  We  passed 
right  on  to  the  *'  Help  Me  Jack,"  and  as  we  went  around 
tlie  l)end  we  saw  tlie  stiury  Itanner  flying  fntm  a  high  pole. 
Tliis  was  Heaver  City.  We  liad  moix-  nipids  to  climb, 
but  there  Wivs  siioal  water  and  we  had  hanl  s(iueezing  to 
get  the  boats  over,  taking  them  one  at  a  time. 

The  salmon  were  so  plenty  going  up  this  river  that  we 
kicked  them  from  under  our  feet.  They  were  considered 
no  good  to  eat  after  spawning,  but  they  keep  on  going  up 
the  river  until  they  sicken  and  die.  never  turning  back. 
W^e  landed  and  pitciied  our  tent,  and  I  was  glad  to  get 
those  rubber  lioots  oft"  my  feet  and  lie  down  to  rest.  It 
was  the  second  day  of  ()ctol)er,  and  the  river  wa.s  begin- 
ning to  freeze  over.  We  must  build  a  shack  for  winter 
quarters. 


196 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    (iOI,l)    FIKI.DS. 


Tlu-  McAl[>iiur  l)r()tli('i',s  met  lis  and  took  some  ol'  our 
imiiilii'is  oti'  to  stiikt'  on  a  creek  (•iille<l  liv  tlieir  iiiiine. 
Tlicrc  vveri'  tlie  liesl  sii^ns  of  nold  tliere  tliiit  tliey  Innl 
yet  seen,  so  we  liml  eluinis  sl!ike<l  on  tlie  best  ereek  in  (lie 
vicinily.  l-veryltody  was  trvini;'  to  n'ot  a  claim  there  ; 
wliiie  some  of  tiie  iioys  were  stakiiij;-,  we  went  to  look  for 
11  place  to  hiiild  onr  sliaek,  wliicli  we  located  on  tlie  Allen- 
kakut,  where  the  ".leiiiiy  M."  i)eo|ile  were  laiildinu:.  'I'lie 
SiTciies  chose  a  site  there  likewise,  so  we  iiad  to  iiiiil  up 
stakes  and  move  hack  around  the  point  where  we  set  our 
tent,  ami  comiiience(l  putliiiL;'  U|>  the   Sertmcs"   shack    lirst. 

As  I  was  not  very  well  1  cookiMl  for  the  Ixiys  and  kept 
house,  iicfore  the  ice  made  they  crossed  liu'  ri\ci'  and 
s^'ot  two  or  liii'ce  lioal  loails  of  moss,  which  they  cut  out 
in  S(|uares  like  stone  paviiiii'.  After  they  considered  they 
had  moss  enough  we  haiileil  our  hoat  up  to  the  hank  and 
turned  her  over  for  the  winter:  yes,  the  winter.  Little 
did  1  know  what  thai  wind  meant  to  me.  The  shai'k's 
sills  were  laid  on  four  corner  posts  and  the  logs  notched 
at  the  ('(M'ners  to  let  them  down  on  one  another.  They 
were  then  caulked  with  moss.  The  roof  was  made  of 
smaller  [)oles,  covered  with  a  thick  layiut,'  of  moss  and 
about  six  inches  of  -dirt  spread  over  it,  makin<>'  a  «>'ood 
warm  roof.  If  the  shack  had  been  built  on  the  <fround  it 
would  have  been  a  irreat  deal  warmer.  When  all  caulked 
U[)  with  moss  and  heated  with  a  good  stove,  one  can 
keej)  warm  in  iiny  weather. 

We  eoiumeneed  to  i)uild  oui's  as  soon  as  the  Serenes' 
was  finished.  It  was  ten  by  twelve,  with  three  berths  and 
a  table,  which  left  good  floor  room.  We  made  two  long 
benches  and  three  stools.  F^epage  and  Kyaii  got  a  log  and 
horsed  it  up  on  some  cross  pieces  for  the  purpose  and 
whii)ped  out  some  l)oards — this  job  made  fun  for  every  one 
that  came  around  where  they  were  at  work.  Neither  had 
ever  wliip-sawed  before,  and  as  Lepage  bossed  the  job,  he 


A    WINTKIt    IN    UKAVKK   (!ITV. 


197 


kept  Kviin  in  liot  water  nil  tliu  time.  I  don't  know  how 
nuiny  times  lie  ciinie  down  troni  liis  top  |K'reli  to  wliij) 
F>e|)a<;e.      Von  conld  hear  thcin  sweaiinif  all  over  the  lot. 

They  sawed  ten  hoards  and  then  (piit.  These  were  Uikun 
to  make  the  door  and  shelves,  liepaire  pnt  his  door  to- 
^etiier  with  i^reen  stock  for  a  linish,  and  soon  one  eoidd 
pnt  his  tinjifers  throuj^h  the  crac^ks.  This  I  had  to  patch 
over,  lie  never  hra^'oed  any  ahont  that  door,  whieh  let 
in  lots  of  cold  thron<fii  the  winter.  W'e  had  no  j^lass  for 
a  window,  so  we  cut  a  hole  in  the  door  and  covered  it  with 
a  thin  piece  of  cotton  cloth. 

We  moved  into  onr  new  house  and  set  our  stove  one  foot 
above  the  Hoor  on  account  of  short  funnel:  and  as  every- 
thing  was  irreen  and  frosty  the  place  was  rather  cold,  more 
especially  the  floor.  However,  we  could  make  a  <,'ood  hot 
tire  and  keep  warm  from  our  knees  up.  When  we  .sat 
down  we  placed  our  feet  uixm  a  stool  but  we  soon  found 
that  we  nnist  lower  our  stove  to  make  it  warmer. 

'I'here  was  trouble  brewin<>'  between  Kyan  and  me.  1 
(h)n't  deny  that  I  was  a  little  irritable,  being  sick,  but 
what  his  motive  was  I  could  not  exactly  define,  for  he  gen- 
erally started  the  ([uarrel.  As  he  was  right  at  home  with 
a  tongue  lashing,  he  roasted  me  pretty  badly  sometimes. 
1  believe  he  was  put  up  to  it  by  May,  one  of  the  Serenes, 
for  he  had,  as  near  as  I  could  find  out,  joined  the  Kyles 
through  the  iidluence  of  May,  and  of  course  had  told  his 
tale  of  woe.  Whether  or  not  he  ha<l  some  grudge  against 
me  antl  wanted  t<^)  give  me  a  thrashing,  I  could  not  tell,  for 
there  was  nothing  I  could  remember.  I  had  always  stood 
for  him  against  Lepage,  luit  one  night  as  1  was  cooking 
supjier  I  had  the  door  partly  open  for  light  to  do  my  woi'' 
when' he  came  in  and  wanted  to  close  it  as  he  was  cold. 

I  told  him  I  could  not  see  with  the  door  closed  ;  if  he 
was  cold  he  could  put  on  his  coat.  I  le  gave  me  a  great 
abusing  and  afterwards  I  began  to  think  the  only  way  to 


1!>8 


TO   THK    AI-ASKAN    OOIJi    I'IKMJS. 


slop  it  was  to  liirlit  it  out.      IJut,  as  it  liaii|»L'ii('(l,  llioiv  was 
no  moi'e  (|iiani'liii;4'  iu'twecii  us. 

I  was  over  at  tlic  ScM'eiics  ouc  uijflit  uiwl  icceivcd  a  votf 
ol  thanks  for  uiy  services  as  leailerou  tlic  .Mlcukakiit.  Wi* 
had  licatcu  the  icconl  I'or  a  hia<lt>(l  lutat,  inakiiiir  the  trip 
in  ('i<;l>t  davs.  'I'iii'v  rcali/cd  that  my  hurry  aloiii;' ha<l  i^dt 
us  up  jusf  lu'forc  tlie  ice  closed  in,  and  tVit  j^iatrl'iU.  Tiu' 
Ixiys  wciv  alter  wood  and  t'onud  ph'iity  ol'  dry  trees  stand- 
inir  which  made  excellent  lirewood. 

We  were  called  up  to  lU-aver  proper  to  or^'aui/e  the 
city.  'I'lie  lueetin^Mvas  held  in  a  lar^<'  doidile  shack,  and 
Ihere  we  made  the  miiieis"  laws  tor  the  city  and  for  slak- 
inji-  out  claims.  A  claim  was  to  cover  lisc  hundred  sipun'c 
feet,  and  a  man  could  take  only  one  claim  <m  a  cieek. 
Stiikini:  hy  power  of  iittornev  was  proiiihited.  .May  ifot 
up  and  said  that  power  of  atloru<'y  was  not  rii^lit,  ytd  Ik; 
h.'id  slaked  l)y  jjower  of  attorney  on  the  hest  creek.  I 
know  tiiat  the  recorder  could  not  help  knowiiii;  this.  i)ut 
he  was  allowed  to  pass  on  ;  so  \\v  had  one  simier  in  this 
crowd.  The  town  was  to  he  laid  out  in  house  lots,  and 
each  man  that  was  located  at  the  j)rcsenl  time  would  share 
in  an  eipial  division  of  these  lots.  I  helieve  there  wero 
uhoiit  forty  lots  apiece.  Dr.  ('unninsjfham  was  elected 
marshal,  and  iiad  the  power  of  choosing  his  aids.  'I'here 
was  also  a  president,  .secietary  and  treasurer— and  there 
we  had  our  city. 

The  hoys  went  out  with  the  rest  pi'osiwctiiiir,  and  we 
at  hist  had  altoiit  six  claims  ajjiece.  The  snow  had  fallen 
some,  and  the  river  could  he  crossed  in  places.  Kvery- 
hody  was  talking  ahout  <r()iuu"  down  the  river  over  the 
ice  to  bring  iij)  provisions,  nearly  everyluxly  hiivin<r  more 
or  less  .stores  to  hrinir  up  from  their  steamboats.  Ours 
was  in  Arctic  City,  and  Lepaire  and  Ryan  were  making 
sleighs  to  go  down  with  the  Serenes  after  stores.  I  was 
also  makiiitr  a  slei<rh  whenever  1  <rot  a  chance  to  work  at 


UUEAklM.    TJIK    TKAJI.. 


A    WINTER    IX    BKAVER   CITY. 


19& 


1 


it.  Ryan  had  got  out  a  few  pieces,  when  the  time  come 
for  them  to  start.  Lepairc  had  his  done  and  I  had  mine, 
so  I  <ravc  it  to  liyan,  and  they  paeked  up  for  the  trail. 
Bacon,  htians  and  hard  tack  was  their  fare,  witii  a  irood 
tent  and  stove. 

I  was  left  behind  this  turn,  as  we  e.xpected  to  make 
another  turn  when  they  came  hack.  I  attended  a  meet- 
inir  one  ni<rht  in  Heaver,  when  it  was  reported  that  one  of 
the  bk'lipse  party  was  lost.  lie  was  up  the  "  Help  Me 
Jack,"'  with  his  partners,  and  was  on  the  trail  home  when 
he  walked  away  from  his  companion.  Thtit  was  the  last 
they  saw  of  him.  The  weather  was  cold — fifteen  and 
twenty  dcirrees  helow  xei'o — and  they  were  afraid  ho 
would  frce/e.  lie  had  his  pack  of  eataltles  wi'h  him, 
but  his  disappearance  was  so  straiiire  that  they  l»ciran  to 
fear  the  worst.  They  wanted  volunteers  to  <:()  and  hunt 
for  him,  and  (piite  a  numl)er  volunteered.  I  had  frozen 
one  of  my  toes  and  was  unable  to  join  this  ))arty,  which 
was  to  start  tiext  inornin<r- 

They  had  for  a  ouide  an  old  hunter  and  Khmdiker  by 
the  name  of  Sly — a  man  of  good  judonient  in  such  cases. 
The  place  where  they  were  to  separate  was  thi'  cy  miles 
above.  'I'lie  river  was  sliallow  and  wide,  with  many  little 
islands  and  sloughs.  Dead  .Man"s  slough  was  where  they 
expected  to  find  him, —  f-r  it  was  easy  to  I)raiicli  off  on 
this  slough,  mistaking  it  for  the  main  river,  with  which  it 
ran  parallel. 

The  second  day  on  the  hunt  they  fomid  him  away  up  a 
ravine,  at  the  beginning  of  the  ascent  of  a  ni  uitain.  lie 
had  travelled  out  i)ey()nd  the  timber  line,  nul  as  he  began 
his  ascent  he  fell,  and  was  found  there  dead,  lie  had  been 
tracked  close  by  the  Kyle  shacks,  where  he  had  passed  back 
and  forward  over  their  claim.  There  was  no  place  on  his 
trail  that  showed  he  had  ever  stopjied  to  rest  or  cook  any- 
thing to  eat,  although  he  carried  provisions  with  him.     He 


200 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIKLDS. 


had  tlirowii  away  liis  l)laiiki't  and  all  of  liis  pack  hut  an 
old  fryiiiif-lian  and  bottle  of  iiiatclies.  Evidently  he  had 
chilled  while  walkiii<r  u[t  this  ravine,  then  frozen  and  fell. 
It  was  a  sad  affair.  Ih'  was  a  (Jloncestcr  skijiper,  and 
hclonuvd  to  the  Kniirhts  of   Pythias  in  that  city. 

This  affair  seemed  to  cast  a  <rloom  over  the  inhabitants 
of  lU'aver.  'riie  deceased  was  brouirht  down  the  river  and 
hnried  in  an  icy  tomb  one  hnndred  miles  north  of  the  Arc- 
tic circle. 

Dv.  Cliambers  stayed  witli  me,  as  his  men  had  y'one 
down  to  their  boat,  the  ".lenny  M.,'"  for  stores,  lie  sat 
n|)  to  iiavc  a  smoke  with  mc,  and  later  turned  in  with  his 
boots  and  all  his  elotlics  on.  I  h'  was  a  very  oild  man, 
«(Ood-heaited  and  n'cncioMs,  but  i  never  tlionqht  be  cared 
nnich  for  bis  pn-fession.  lie  belono'cd  in  IMdladelphia, 
and  bad  considerable  wealth.  1  kept  a  hot  lire  iroiiiir  all 
nii^ht,  and  as  be  never  complained  1  tlioiiLibt  it  was  all 
ri_<,''ht.  1  was  busy  making'  a  slciirh  and  worked  very  late 
nights.  I  was  not  very  well,  and  my  let;s  beiran  to  ixive 
out.  but  I  kc])t  upon  my  feet,  thinkin*,'  it  would  help  my 
It'H's. 

One  UKuniuL;'.  after  the  doctor  had  left,  the  shack  caut^bt 
hie  around  the  stove-pipe.  I  threw  water  on.  as  I  had  six 
pails  full.  i)Ut  bmnd  that  I  would  have  to  <^et  upon  the 
roof.  1  tbcicupon  took  an  old  line  I  iiad  and  fastened  it 
to  the  pail  which  ((lUlained  all  the  water  there  was  left, 
I  took  tin;  end  in  my  hand  and  climbed  up  on  the 
roof.  When  the  pail  was  half  wjiy  up  the  line  lirokc. 
Von  may  iiucss  the  rest.  Just  then  one  of  the  Serene 
j)artv  came  alont;  and  oave  me  his  assistance.  'I'he  tiro 
W(Mdil  jret  in  the  moss,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
put  it  out,  l)Ut  we  <rot  tiling's  under  control  after  havinir 
quite  a  little  li_<,dit  in  the  cold — (iftei'ii  de<rrees  below  zi-ro. 
I  was  "lad  to  buihl  a  lire  and  j,'et  my  breakfast. 

The  doctor  remarked   that  I  would   burn    it   all  down 


^■■^M 


I:  .:-^ 


SAM    MALUM' K)T   TKADIM,. 


A   WINTER   IN   KKAVER   CITY. 


201 


some  <Uv  by  the  hot  tires  tliat  I  kept.  He  stayed  no  lonjfer 
with  me  after  that,  ami  I  \\a.s  alone  and  i^ettinyf  woi-se. 
Every  day  the  eords  of  my  lejrs  were  <rettin<f  more  and 
more  stiff:  still  I  went  «)Ut  and  cnt  m}-  day's  wood  and 
carrieil  it  in,  hut  I  knew  it  would  not  l»e  lor  lontj. 

Indian  Sam  Mallimoot,  as  he  was  called,  came  alon<.nine 
morninsr  when  I  was  cuttinsr  wood.  He  was  the  chief  i>f 
a  small  trilie  of  Indians  down  the  river  called  the  .Malli- 
nioots.  He  stojiped  to  talk,  and  1  asked  liini  altout  tiit- 
wintertime.  He  said.  "  Plenty  cold  t)ime  by,  too  cold." 
and  that  was  all  he  would  tell,  ior  you  must  take  these 
Indians  in  ami  feed  them  if  you  want  to  n'ct  any  informa- 
tion from  tiiem.  They  "plenty  eat,  plenty  tiilk  :  no  tat. 
nt>  talk."  Sam  was  a  crafty  Indian,  and  was  well  vti-scd 
in  all  the  crooked  ways  of  the  white  man,  hut  lie  could 
not  l>e  tleiK'Ufled  on. 

EvervlMid\  now  was  up  in  the  creeks  puttin«,' up  shaek-s 
and  gettinij  i-eady  to  work  their  claims,  which  could  not  l>e 
done  initil  the  jrromid  froze  down  to  bed  rock,  s.>  that 
when  they  came  to  diif,  the  hole  wouhl  not  till  up  with 
water.  In  oixler  to  sink  a  shaft  it  was  necessary  to  buihl 
a  tii-e  and  thaw  the  frround.  Then  there  would  Ik?  about 
three  inches  to  work  over  after  every  thawinjf.  This  pro- 
cess was  continue<l  until  bed  rock  was  found,  and  there 
the  iroUl  was  supposed  to  lie.  The  boys  liad  left  for  Arc- 
tic City  on  tiie  tenth  of  November,  and  had  been  <rone  a 
week,  when  I  attempted  to  arise  one  morning  and  l\mnd  I 
was  hanl  and  fast,  I  lay  there  and  thought  what  I  had 
K'st  do. 

I  decided  I  would  crawl  over  to  the  Serenes  an<l  ask 
them  to  get  my  wood  for  me,  and  probably  I  could  get 
others  to  help.  So  I  put  on  all  of  my  warm  clothes  and 
got  a  long  stiiff.  With  this  I  hobbled  over  to  the  Serenes. 
1  was  jwssing  the  "  .Fenny  M."  shack  when  they  a.skcd  me 
where  I  was  going.     I  told  them,   and   they  told    me  that 


Pacific  N.  W.  History  Dept. 

PROVINCIAL  LIBRARY 
VIOTORIA.  B.  O. 


202 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


tlie  Serenes  had  gone  iij)  on  the  creek  tliat  morning.  They 
invited  nie  in  to  warm  myself,  and  I  informed  them  how 
I  was  sitnated.  I  asked  little  Frank,  as  we  called  him,  to 
ciit  me  some  wood.  Me  came  ovei-  with  me  and  went 
into  the  wood-pile,  and  soon  had  a  lot  of  wood  cnt. 

I  asked  him  if  lie  knew  of  any  Knights  of  Pythias,  as  I 
belonged  to  that  order  myself.  He  rei)lie<l  in  the  allirma- 
tive,  and  I  rec] nested  him  to  notify  them  at  once,  which 
he  did  and  hronght  three  or  four  to  see  me.  I  had  moved 
the  benches  together  i)y  the  stove  to  make  me  a  bed,  and 
I  could  put  wood  in  the  stove  and  cook  from  tliese  lienches. 
I  had  i)lenty  of  bread  baked,  which  I  soaked  and  ate  with 
condensed  milk.  My  legs  were  so  bad  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  straighten  them  o\it,  and  I  moved  about  on  the 
stools.     .My  teeth  were  loose  and  gums  sore. 

The  doctor  made  a  friendly  call  and  I  asked  him  what 
he  thought  of  the  case.  He  called  it  inflannnakny  rheu- 
matism. 1  had  a  high  fever  and  was  drinking  water  a 
(juart  at  a  time.  He  advised  me  to  take  a  drink  of  citric 
acid  once  in  a  while.  This  was  something  we  had  plenty 
of,  it  being  called  a  scurvy  preventative.  I  had  used  but 
little  of  it,  and  I  liked  the  drink,  but  I  thought  acid  was 
not  good  for  rheumatism. 

I  was  alone  night  and  day.  In  the  morning  some  one 
came  and  cut  my  wood,  brought  it  in  and  left  me  alone 
until  next  morning,  although  I  told  them  I  knew  that 
I  ougiit  not  to  be  left  alone  nights.  Still  no  one  offered 
to  stay,  and  finally  the  Swede  who  cooked  for  nie  told  me 
tiiat  he  woidd  have  to  go  >ipon  the  creek,  so,  of  course,  I 
was  left  alone.  Afttn-  rising  to  wood  the  stove  my  head 
would  swim,  a  blindness  come  over  me  and  I  wo\dd  almost 
fall  to  the  floor.  But  I  would  cuawl  back  to  the  hard 
benches  and  turn  from  one  side  to  the  other  to  rest  until 
morning. 

The  sun  had  set  for  the  winter,  the  last  rays  shining  on 


A    WINTER   IX   BEAVKR   CITY. 


203 


the  twenty-sixth  of  November.  We  used  candles  day  and 
niijfht.  I  never  knew  when  it  was  (hiy,  exee[)t  by  my 
watch,  and  we  Avere  having  it  forty-five  and  tifty  degrees  . 
l)elow  zero.  Tlie  wliite  frost  glistened  on  onr  walls  in  de- 
fiance of  ni}-  heating  the  stove  as  hot  as  I  conhl  make  it. 
From  the  bottom  of  onr  stove  down  to  the  floor  was  an 
atmosphere  that  chilled  my  legs  and  froze  my  toes,  and  I 
had  to  hold  my  feet  high  to  save  them.  The  cold  Arctic 
winter  had  set  in. 

As  long  as  there  was  a  spark  of  life  in  me  I  managed 
to  keep  my  fire  in  the  stove  going,  as  they  had  left  me 
considerable  wood.  I  think  that  they  were  afmid  of  some 
scourge  for  they  had  fled  and  left  me  in  a  living  tomb.  I 
kept  my  candle  burning  and  the  time  went  slow.  I  was 
getting  in  a  state  where  1  did  not  care  whether  I  lived  or 
died.  I  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  recovery  and  was  waitr 
ing  patiently  for  the  end.  I  had  become  reconciled  to  mj- 
fate  and  felt  ready  to  meet  my  maker. 

Some  times  1  could  hear  a  stranger  passing.  Wouhl 
he  step  in  (  No,  their  hearts  were  filled  with  the  greed  of 
gold  and  what  was  a  dying  man  compared  to  that ':  His 
cries,  his  groans  could  not  reach  their  ears,  for  their  hearts 
were  cold;  every  tender  feeling  warmed  in  their  breasts 
by  the  charitable  fires  of  humanity,  had  disapp«'ared  and 
gold,  gold,  gohl,  had  taken  its  place.  How  much  like  the 
brute  the  human  family  can  be  I  Can  they  think  to  escape 
punishment  i 

I  lay  on  the  1  tenches  and  ate  imt  little.  I  did  not  care 
for  it.  There  was  nothing  left, — tiie  honey  the  Sunflower 
had  sent  me,  and  bread  from  the  lOclipse,  were  gone  ;  the 
wood  was  all  gone,  and  1  felt  unless  relief  .soon  came  1,  too, 
would  not  last  long.  That  night  I  draggc'  my  blankets 
to  my  l)erth  an<l  witii  my  knife  ripped  down  the  side  of 
my  sleeping  I)ag  so  I  could  get  in,  and  with  all  the  fixings 
I  iiad  piled  on  me  to  keep  out  the  cold,  I  lay  down  to  die, 
for  I  felt  that  it  was  my  last  night  on  eartli. 


204 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD    KIKLUS. 


Soinetiiiic  ill  the  niirlit,  with  the  ciukIIo  l»uniiii<;  (liinly, 
enshroinh'd  in  nii  iitiiKispiicro  (if  Irost,  I  heard  lodtsteps 
outside  III'  (lie  (hxir,  and  as  it  niu'iied,  K'vaii  entered,  cov- 
ertid  witli  I'lost.  Il(;  sai<l,  '■('a|)taiii,  hiiw  are  y(»ii  ^ "'  His 
voice  revived  ine  and  I  answered,  "I  am  pretty  siek." 
"  Haven't  yon  i^ot  any  wood,  no  lire  '.  "  "  No,"  I  said,  "  I 
jnsi  hnrned  the  last."  Lepajje  said  hut  little,  said  that  lie 
had  met  tlu^  ]iri\si(UMit  ol  the  .leiiiiy  M.  who  tolii  him  I 
only  had  a  little  rheumatisin  and  il'  I  would  oc't  np  and 
walk  around,  1  would  he  all  rii^lii.  I  knew  in  a  inoiiieiit 
wliy  he  told  this  story — he  was  ashaiiie(l  I'or  never  ealling 
on  me.       He  let  iiimscll' down  easy. 

Iiyaii  soon  had  a  j^ood  lire  hnrniiiif  and  supper  eookiiiy. 
I^epai^e  cut  liie  wood,  a  joh  ju!  always  elaiined,  and  I  l)ej,'an 
to  t'eel  liriu'liter.  He  cooked  prunes  that  I  craved  and  they 
did  me  u'ood.  1  was  not  alone  iio\v,  I  niiiiht  ilie  hut  not 
t'ree/.e  to  (h-ath.  1  was  hetter  for  a  day  or  so  and  then 
urew  worse.  .My  nioiith  was  swollen  and  sore  and  I  could 
not  eat,  I'or  my  teeth  were  loose.  Hyan  asked  me  if  I 
would  iiave  a  doctor  tuul  I  told  him  to  do  as  he  thonjfht 
hest,  so  he  sent  tor  Dr.  ('uiiniii<i:hain  of  the  IJeaver,  who  came 
and  looked  into  my  mouth  and  said  I  had  scurvy.  "  Well, 
doctor,  what  can  you  (h)  I'or  it^'  I  asked.  "I  can  help 
you,"  he  replied,  "hut  can't  cure  unhiss  you  can  getahout 
twenty-eight  pounds  of  potatoes.  Von  can  get  them  at 
IJiirgiimont,  one  hundred  miles  from  here,  and  tliey  will 
co.st  twenty-five  cents  a  pound."  How  was  I  to  get  tlieni 
without  money  '  Ryan  called  on  the  iieighliors  and  got 
vegetalile  son})  i)repared  in  cans  and  I  began  to  feel  as 
though  I  had  taken  a  new  lease  of  life. 

In  the  meanwhile  Lepage  had  gone  (h)wii  tlie  river  again 
as  1  had  chosen  Ryan  to  stay  with  me.  I  Iiegan  to  leel 
IxHter  s[)irited  and  could  sit  u^)  a  little  while  at  a  time. 
We  sold  some  of  our  candles  and  sent  the  money  down 
the  river  to  buy  potatoes  by  the  Kyle  which  ran  a  dog 
express  between  Beaver  and  Arctic  City. 


,'•■■  ■ 

&Ssa.SGK>--^--- 

^  ^     >-^ 

! 

1 

^^ 

|BH|^^      ' 

a 

13^ 

~                     "  < 

"      ^ 

H^ 

Z^^'^'-y 

e»^ 

"'if 

1 '~     '^M?:^^^'^'' 

1 

I^^^^^^BS'^^^Ba^BBBP^^^  ~ 

■       ■   ' 

I    l.W     \I."\K    -.rHt  t.Ul.lM.    WE.ti    I'EAfH. 


A    WINTlClt    IN    HEAVKR   CITY. 


Kvaii  told  lue  that  the  Serene  parties  wliovvore  upon  tlie 
(Meek  l>uil(lin<r  a  slmc^k  eanie  down  tlie  trail  to  meet  tliem 
and  to  liel[>tlieni  with  their  loiid.  Mav  and  Dane  saw  them 
coniinj,' and  May  said,  "Those  I'eliows  have  l>een  doing 
nothinj;  and  we  have  l)oen  tntf<,Mn},f  it  on  the  trail,"  and  he 
kept  it  jioinjf  until  llinekley  slapped  his  face,  then  he  got 
a  clui)  and  then;  was  a  hot  tinu'  in  general,  hut  the  rest  of 
the  men  parted  them  and  thev  came  home  two  very  hitter 
enemies,  ,M  iv  came  over  to  se((  me  and  it  was  all  he 
coidd  talk  aiUmil.  He  wanted  to  light  a  duel  with  revol- 
vei-s,  he  was  um)  warm  lilooded  to  take  an  insult  and  not 
resent  it,  he  wouM  nol  let  it  pass.  I  laui;he<l  and  said, 
*'  What  a  heaMlilii,  sight  it  will  he  for  two  intelligent  nu>n 
in  their  right  e^tids  to  htand  up  and  pop  at  each  other 
with  i-evolvei-fv^  Now,  don't  you  think  yourself  that  it 
would  he  a  riWi'-nlous  sight  '  "  lie  admitted  tiiatit  would 
ftiid  I  heani  nv^  more  ahout  duels. 

Three  mork«  in-\\  nuMi  came  to  ns,  two  helonging  to  a 
New  York  coinjmiiy  and  one  of  the  same  state  went  with 
the  sU'amer  Niagara,  t  )ne  day  lirady  of  the  New  York 
ounu'  crawling  into  my  shack  ;  iiis  legs  had  given  out  and 
he  eouhl  n«»t  walk.  I  told  him  he  had  the  scurvy,  lie 
thouirlit  it  w:is  rheumatism,  Imi  I  knew  he  was  wrouii. 
Jle  laid  iu  until  Ryan  eame  and  carried  him  over  to  the 
Serenes'.  wl»ere  they  were  stopping,  as  Hinckley  and  the 
Swede  ImmI  gone  down  to  Arctic  City.  \Vhcn  I  was  taken 
sielt,  tlwy  said  nohody  hut  la/y  men  got  the  scurvy,  hut 
litre  was  a  smart  young  man  who  had  Ix'cn  working  hard 
oiii  the  trail  and  had  given  in  near  my  shack.  Tom  Mc- 
Arthur,  his  mate,  hegan  to  get  needful  eatahles  for  him 
and  citric  acid  for  him  to  drink.  The  Doctor  ordered  me 
to  drink  no  water  without  it,  and  I  was  getting  along 
nicely. 

The  eai>tain  of  the  North  Stjir,  who  was  W(uking  down 
on  Cliarles  ("reek,  called.    They  had  heen  down  sixty  feet, 


S06 


TO  THK    ALASKAN   OOLD    PIKLDS. 


down  to  Ited  rock, and  had  not  Heeii  a  paitichi  of  jjold.  He 
had  started  in  ajj^ain,  for  exorcise  tiiis  time,  he  said.  We 
did  not  Iwlieve  there  wasanyptld  there,  and  lie  felt  rather 
gloomy  over  thei)rosiie(;ls,  lie  liiid  laid  out  a  frood  deal  of 
money,  owninjr  the  steamer,  which  would  not  sell  in  St. 
Michaels  for  old  jinik.  This  was  a  sample  of  the  hitter 
complaints  that  I  heard  from  some  (»ne  every  day. 

Mr.  Donohue,  of  the  steamer  Sunflower,  and  president 
of  the  company,  calle(l  and  told  me  his  tale  of  woe.  lie 
WHS  an  cii;rinecr,  had  hijrh  wa<;cs  and  si  steady  job  on  the 
Cannon  hall  railroiid,  and  had  sacrificed c very thin^r  to  come 
to  Alaska,  and  now  it  was  a  dead  loss.  .1.  .McAlpine's 
brother  wa.s  stricken  down  with  the  scurvy,  lie  believed 
it  to  ht!  rheumatism,  and  called  Dr.  Chamhers,  who  ex- 
tracted two  of  hi.s  teeth,  and  the  case  went  on  under  that 
name,  until  Dr.  Cniniin^rliam  was  sent  for,  and  told  him 
he  had  a  bad  case  of  the  scurvy.  His  mouth  was  terribh; 
from  the  teeth  he  had  had  extracted.  I  was  surprised  at 
Dr.  Chamhers,  who  nevt^r  j^ave  in  but  what  it  was  iheuma- 
tism  that  we  all  had.  It  was  jfettinj;  to  be  a  serious  thinjr 
around  throuj^h  Heaver,  and  many  were  stricken.  They  had 
been  up  on  the  creeks  and  worked  their  claims,  but  would 
have  to  ^'ive  u[)  and  come  home. 

Tom  McArthur  was  working  J.  .McAlpine's  claim  on 
some  khid  of  a  lay,  for  Mc Alpine  had  to  attend  to  his 
sick  brother,  and  the  "Jenny  M.'s  "  were  doing  consider- 
able work.  Ryan  brought  me  the  news  every  day  of  what 
was  going  on  uj)  the  creeks.  Some  could  not  l)e  worked 
on  account  of  water,  and  there  were  all  kinds  of  tiying 
ruraoi-s.  Some  days  our  courage  would  go  way  up,  and 
the  next  day  drop  down  to  zero.  May  and  Dane,  of  the 
Serenes,  went  np  to  try  their  claims  on  McAl[)ine  (;reek, 
which  was  looked  upon  as  the  Eldorado  of  Alaska.  Those 
who  did  not  hold  a  stake  there  were  trying  hard  to  get 
one,  and  it  was  the   boom  of  lieaver  City.     People  were 


A    WINTKH    IN    HKAVKK    l.'ITV. 


207 


('Oiiiiiijir  over  from  KdtzclMK!  Sdiind,  over  a  rniifrh  trail, 
leaving  most  of  tlu^ir  niittits  li(;liiu<l,  or  tliruwiiij^  tht'in 
iiwny,  til  nisli  t(»  tlu!  Ixiom  ol'   Hciivi  r. 

NVliat  won't  moii  <lo  for  ^'old  I  lien;  tliey  were  expost'd 
Ui  weather  Hixty  and  .seventy  dejireen  Inflow  zero,  liviiij;  in 
t(!nts,  and  relaying;  tlieir  packs, — for  they  nin.st  liave  all 
the  provisions  they  needed,  it  iieini,'  too  far  to  ^ro  iiaekaiid 
f^et  what  they  had  left  liehind.  'I'here  were  miners  coniinjf 
over  from  the  Vnkon  who  had  a  trail  tlironjrh  the  moun- 
tains eijjhty  miles  lonj^; — this  trail  was  ronjfh  and  the  marks 
nneertainso  that  some  ^ot  lostliy  wanderinif  away  from  it 
and  never  tindin^  it  ajrain.  1  knew  one  of  a  party  who 
got  lost — .lack,  the  first  steward  of  the  Haydn  lirown, — 
and  had  to  eat  their  dojrs  and  the  rawhide  lacings  on 
their  moccasins.  When  found  they  were  in  a  <lyiiig  con- 
dition, and  were  liroutfht  out  by  the  Kyle.  Jack  afterward 
called  to  see  me  at  my  shack,  and  his  experience,  as  he 
told  it,  was  somethinjr  awful. 

I'he  Kclipse  had  a  man  die,  the  one  who  took  Hlaek- 
hiu'n's  place,  lie  helonjjjed  in  San  Francisco,  hut  we  knew 
nothing  of  his  i'riends,  so  he  was  hinied  in  a  prospector's 
hole,  this  heinif  the  most  convenient  grave  we  couhl  give 
him. 

l^eople  began  to  fear  the  scourge,  and  many  left  Beaver, 
only  to  find  it  jjrevailing  in  other  places,  jonfrontingthenj 
wherever  they  went,  until  stricken  down  themselves.  They 
Avandered  from  place  to  place.  South  Korks  was  worse 
than  Heaver.  Tlare  were  no  raw  potatoes  there,  and  they 
did  not  know  that  they  were  the  only  remedy,  so  the  peo- 
l>\e  died  and  were  i)ut  under  the  snow.  The  engineer  of 
the  Anawando,  Tom  Mc Arthur's  friend,  both  of  them  New 
York  firemen,  died  with  the  seurvy,  unattended,  and  poor 
Tom  was  overcome  with  grief,  thinking  if  he  had  lieen 
there  he  could  have  saved  him,  but  he  was  one  hundred 
miles  awav  and  could  not  leave    Hrady,  who  was  also  a 


208 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLi-   FIKLD8. 


very  sick  iiiiiii,  tlyiiifr  witli  scurvy.  It  was  soiuetliinji;  tliat 
tlie  people  were  uiiac<iuainte(l  with,  and  a  great  many 
doctors  were  puzzled,  for  with  the  scurvy  a  man  appears 
very  dull  and  stupid,  and  sleeps  a  jrreat  deal.  Ileisdyinij, 
and  uoltody  kiun's  it.  His  heart  Iteats  slow  and  his  hlood 
ceases  to  circulale,  and  he  drops  dead,  wiion,  perhaps,  live 
minutes  l)ofore,  he  lias  walked  from  his  chair  to  liis  l»ed. 
Then  they  are  surprised.  Why,  I  tliti  not  know  tiiat  he 
was  as  sick  as  that:  h  't  he  is  dead,  and  who  is  to  I)laine 
for  the  netiflect  for  not  watchinjjf  him  closer  ' 

The  doctor  lold  Kyan  that  I  'lad  l)een  the  sickest  num 
of  the  lot,  for  lie  was  not  certain  that  he  could  fetcli  nie 
out  of  it,  i)Ut  I  lielped  him  witli  my  will  an<l  was  now 
getting;  well  fast.  l*oor  .Mc.Vlpine  got  on  his  feet  and 
went  to  sec  the  neighl)ors  too  soon  ;  ho  had  a  relapse,  and 
was  now  sicker  thitn  before,  with  inMatnniati<»n  of  the  kid- 
nevs,  and  couhl  not  move  out  of  his  bed,  sntl'eriny:  tturi- 
hie  pain. 

( )ne  niglit  the  doctor  paid  me  a  visit  in  company  with 
Mrs.  Urcwster  and  Josie  ('ampliell,  as  we  called  her,  it 
being'  her  married  sister's  name.  Mi-s.  Campbell  and  .losie 
have  the  record  of  putting:  on  male  attire  and  helping  Mv. 
('ampbell  draw  his  boat  u}!  the  .\llenkakat  river.  These 
women  wcc  medium  size  and  of  robust  health,  .losie 
shouldered  her  axe  and  drove  her  stakes  on  tbrct'  or  iour 
creeks,  yet  she  was  a  relineil  woman,  and  something  of  a 
mandolin  player.  This  is  the  style  of  our  westtM'u  woman, 
with  the  streng-tli  of  a  man  and  his  endurance,  while  she 
pos.ses.ses  the  modest  refinement  of  a  huly.  .Mix.  Ilrewster 
was  a  great  conversationalist,  ad  talked  me  almost  well 
again.  They  did  not  stop  long,  and  that  was  the  last  time 
I  saw  Mi's.  Ilrewster,  but  .Mr.  and  Mi's,  (.amjjbell  called 
otice  or  twice  during  the  day. 

Thf-se  iM3ople  belonged  in  Minneaiiolis,  as  near  as  I 
could  lind  out,  and  the  steamer  they  came  up  on  was  of 


A    WINTER    IN    REAVER   CITY. 


209 


the  Siiine  name.  Josie  had  a  lover  hy  the  name  of  Lane, 
who  brought  me  some  vegetables  ont  of  their  cache.  He 
said  his  i)artners  were  very  snug  in  that  line,  and  held  a 
meeting  to  .see  what  they  could  give,  i)nt  he  went  out  to 
the  cache,  took  these  cans  of  vegetid)les,  and  brought  them 
to  me.  lie  felt  disgusted.  .Ktsie  afterwards  found  that 
he  had  a  wife,  so  she  gave  him  the  sack,  and  lie  packed 
down  the  river. 

As  she  helped  Campbell  saw  the  tire-wood,  she  always 
managed  to  have  her  end  of  the  saw  when  a  new  lover 
appeared.  Of  coui-se  he  took  her  place,  ami  she  went  into 
the  house  ;  if  she  wanted  the  wood  all  carried  in,  she 
would  go  out  to  get  an  arndoad,  when  there  would  be  a 
rush  of  three  or  four  aspirants,  and  they  wnultl  manage  to 
bring  it  in.  They  were  standing  iinnuid  the  gate  flay  and 
night.  ( )ne  they  called  IJrush  had  so  much  hair  on  his 
head  he  could  not  wear  a  liat.  I  have  seen  him  in  the 
coldest  weather  without  one.  Aiinthcr  man  played  the 
harmonica,  and  was  always  tooting  on  that,  liut  Harry 
Hounce,  an  .Alabama  chait,  i»layed  a  guitar,  so  lie  iiad  the 
inside  track,  as  he  often  got  an  invitation  to  come  in.  I'oor 
Harry  wa.s  (piite  smitten.  The  other  lovei-s  packed  down 
the  river,  one  after  another,  and  left  him  amusing  .losie 
with  his  guitar,  and  helping  .saw  wood.  .\s  .btsic  had  a 
party  of  four  who  played  on  ditfcrcut  pieces,  Marry  was 
not  witlumt  a  rival,  and  the  boys  woidd  say,  as  siie  dis- 
carded one  and  accejtted  another,  ••('anipbcli  lias  got  a 
new  wood-chopper,  where  is  the  other  ^  '  "Oh.  gone 
down  the  river,"  or,  '*  She  has  sent  so  and  so  down  Uie 
river.'"  Josie  was  the  only  attraetion,  for  there  was  no 
gold  up  in  the  creeks,  and  there  must  be  some  excitement. 
INIy  i)otat()es  had  come.  I  got  but  sevent^»'n  pounds 
and  three  pounds  of  onions,  and  I  felt  that  these  were  do- 
ii\g  me  good,  Imt  I  did  not  have  cuougii.  Tlicse  potjitoes 
were  frozen  and  so  were  the  tmions,  l)ut  thev  were  deli- 


210 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


cious.  I  could  only  have  four  ,a  <la,v.  The  doctf)!-  made 
his  last  visit,  siiyinjf  there  was  nothing  more  that  he  could 
do,  I  was  •jfettiiig  alonir  all  right.  "  Eat  plenty  of  vegeta- 
hles,"  was  his  order,  and  I  paid  strict  attention  to  it. 

May  and  Dane  had  sj)lit.  INhiy  wanted  to  thrash  Dane. 
lie  was  dancing  around  the  shaft  upon  McAlpine  creek  in 
his  anger  and  fell  into  a  fire  which  they  had  to  thaw  and 
got  scorched,  for  which  he  hlamed  Dane,  and  swore  he 
would  shoot  him. 

I  helieve  May  was  a  little  affected  in  the  head  hy  his 
actions  for  he  got  furious  with  Ryan,  hecause  he  claimed 
that  liyan  had  told  Kyle  about  this  claim  he  was  holding 
illegally,  and  Kyle  went  to  the  recorder  and  found  it  and 
traded  it  with  May  for  one  on  another  creek.  Kyle  would 
not  tell  who  told  him,  so  May  hlamed  it  on  l{yan,  as  he 
was  tlu'  only  one  that  knew,  and  came  over  one  morning 
to  give  him  a  thrashing.  Ryan  swore  he  had  never  men- 
tioned it  to  any  (»ne,  so  May  cooled  down  and  Ryan  did  not 
get  the  thrashing.  It  was  learned  afterward  that  the  re- 
corder had  told  him  as  Kyle  wanted  a  (ilaini  on  McAlpine 
creek.  The  scurvyitcs  were  all  doing  well,  for  they  had 
sent  for  the  potatoes  and  were  getting  along  all  right,  ex- 
cept McAlpine,  who  was  very  sick.  There  was  a  shooting 
accident  down  at  l{c(l  Mountain,  where  a  niimher  of  little 
steamers  had  met  the  ice  and  become  frozen  in  for  the 
winter.  The  crew  had  staked  on  the  Red  i^ands.  One 
man's  feet  were  frozen,  so  that  it  was  ne<'essary  to  send 
to  Arctic  City  for  a  doctor — a  distance  of  sixty  miles — to 
have  his  feet  amputated.  There  were  (piite  a  number  of 
deaths  in  an  Hnglish  camp  down  at  Hughes  bar,  where  the 
Argonaut^s  were  located.  This  was  the  secret  they  had  on 
the  Ilaydn  Hrown,  so  there  they  drove  their  stakes. 

The  sun  had  not  risen  and  it  was  Christmas  day.  I  had 
not  seen  outside  of  the  shack  as  yet.  Theie  was  to  be  a 
feast  over  to   the  .lennv   M.'s  that  night.      I    could    not 


A    WINTKK    IN    BKAVKK   CITY. 


211 


gi),  so  tht'V  sent  over  my  part  and  it  was  not  to  l)e  laughed 
at.  I  enjoyed  it  Imt  tliere  '.vas  no  roast  goose.  On  New 
Years  Eve,  al»i>ut  niidniirht,  1  heard  a  tiring  of  guns  all 
around  Heaver.  Kyan  wa.s  asleep  and  I  tiiought  hiui  lazy 
for  a  young  man.  so  I  ivached  uj)  over  my  lierth  and  took 
down  my  rifle.  IJyan  saw  this  an<l  stared  at  nie  as  I  lilled 
tiie  magazine  full  of  eartridges.  lie  jumped  out  on  the 
Hoor  with  just  Ids  |iants  and  stockings  on,  and  wantcfl  to 
know  if  I  was  going  to  tire  tiiat  gun.  *'  ( Jet  out  of  the  way," 
said  I,  as  lie  made  for  the  «loor.  I  jumped  out  of  my  herth 
and  never  .shall  forget  how  my  legs  hurt  me  as  I  strtiggled 
to  stand  on  them,  l»ut  I  was  mad.  Ryan  got  out  of  that 
door.  I  o[»ened  it  and  commenced  tiring  as  I  heard  the 
Jenny  .M.'s  saluting.  Hyan  came  hack  and  after  emptying 
my  riHe  he  came  in. 

riiat  was  my  liist  attempt  to  stand  on  my  feet  and  it 
was  wiiat  frightened  Kyan.  It  was  my  first  look  out  of 
(htors.  .losie  and  her  hand  weiv  giving  entertainments  in 
the  ditlereiit  siiacks  and  were  making  quite  a  lively  time 
for  lieaver. 

There  was  tmuhle  in  the  IJrewster  family.  It  .seems 
some  evil-toniriii'd  man  had  said  i)ad  things  aitout  Mrs. 
Hrewster;  and  for  fear  Mr.  Hrewst^'r  would  iicar  of  it  she 
thongiit  it  hest  to  tell  him  first,  so  the  explosion  came  and 
Brewster  was  soon  packing  down  the  river.  His  wife  .said 
she  was  innocent  of  tins  .scandal  and  called  for  a  miners* 
meeting  to  get  their  decision,  as  Hrewster  had  hrought  the 
man  who  reported  these  stories  hack  to  Heaver  with  him. 
Accordingly  tiiey  sto<Ml  i»eforc  the  great  triliunal  of  Heaver 
City,  charged  with  making  false  reports  to  hlemish  a 
woman's  character.  The  man  admitted  none  of  the  charges, 
ftiul  no  testimony  was  given  that  proved  them.  So  the  case 
was  thrown  out  and  tlie  Hivwstt'rs  lived  iiappicr  ever  after. 

Uyan  hrought  me  all  the  news  of  the  town  ;  he  was  now 
complaining  of  lame  legs  and  thought  he  had  the  hlack  leg, 


•21 2 


TO   THIO    ALASKAN   GOLD    FIKLDS. 


as  sciirvv  wiis  ciilled.  1  uhviiys  tliouglit  tliat  Uyan  didn't 
{•arc  iimcli  il'  lie  did  fiet  it,  so  tliat  lie  miiriit  sliare  in  the 
synijmtliy  that  scurvyites  got  from  those  that  were  all  riglit. 
I  could  not  help  l»elievin<r  that  l{yan  was  ])layini;  a  liluff. 
lie  claimed  that  every  <lay  his  lci:s  were  ircttinjr  worse 
and  he  conld  hanlly  tret  in  and  ont  of  lied. 

One  night  he  went  to  lu'd  and  left  the  cantlle  liurning 
in  a  wooden  candlestick  tliat  had  a  piece  of  tin  to  set  the 
candle  in,  the  lutle  going  down  through  the  hottom.  so 
that  when  the  candle  l)nnicd  down  it  wonld  drop  ont  in  a 
dish  underneath,  put  there  for  tiiat  purpose.  l{yan  had 
never  kept  this  candlestick  cleaned  out  as  he  shoidd,  so 
when  the  candle  hurned  down  it  woidd  not  pass  through, 
and  set  the  candlestick  on  tire.  It  was  on  the  wall  over 
the  taltle  at  ilie  tin)e  and  the  wall  caugiit  lin-.  I  was 
awakened  hy  the  snapping  and  cracking  and  h»oking  out 
from  inider  my  hlanket,  saw  the  tlanic  going  up  to  the  ceil- 
ing. I  called  to  Ryan  that  the  house  was  on  tire.  He 
made  a  spring  from  his  top  l)Uid<,  and  landing  on  tlie  Hoor 
among  tlic  stools,  went  dancing  up  and  ilown  in  front  of 
the  lire  hke  an  Indian  l)rav((  at  a  war  dance.  I  told  him 
to  take  the  candlestick  down  and  throw  it  out  of  (h)ors. 
which  he  did.  That  stitpped  the  hlaze  hut  we  had  to  dig 
out  the  moss  that  was  on  lire. 

Kyan  did  not  show  any  signs  of  lameness  all  through 
the  lire  and  afterwards  went  to  lied  as  spry  as  a  kitten. 
'I'his  caused  nu*  to  douht  his  illness.  He  was  (piitea  foxy 
chap  and  no  douht  had  a  motive.  Next  morning  he  was 
lame  and  went  on  his  usual  trip  witii  Tom  for  firewood. 
He  stayed  in  the  other  shacks  and  left  me  alone  ahout  all 
the  time.  <  >n(!  day  he  said  he  had  it  for  certain,  as  them 
was  a  hlaek  spot  on  the  hack  of  his  leg  ahove  his  knee. 
He  showed  it  to  me  and  I  saw  where  some  one  had  |)ainted 
him  with  hlack  ink,  tliree  linger  marks  iis  plain  tus  u  iiieturc. 
1  think  it  was  ilone  hy  some  of  the  hoys  for  a  joke.      I{yan 


A    WINTER    IX    HEAVKR   CITY. 


•213 


nut  sus|(t'i-tin<r,  I  never  let  liini  know  what  I  lia<l  discov- 
eit?tl  l>nt  allowe<l  liini  to  think  as  lie  pleased  ahout  it.  I 
toUl  liini  1  tlioujrht  that  he  onjfht  to  have  a  jjood  warm 
jKiir  of  nnM'easins.  lie  had  previously  hnuijht  a  pair  of 
Sam  Mallinioot.  jrivinir  hini  a  hiuilinir  knife  for  them,  and 
wore  a  hole  throMi,di  them  the  lirst  day.  I  admit  that  his 
feet  were  very  poorly  proteeted. 

<  )ne  day  two  or  tliree  Indians  stopped  at  the  shaek  and 
I  tradeil  some  slahs  of  pork  for  a  niee  pair  of  nuithM-ks. 
Tiiis  was  the  name  of  a  iiioteasin  with  a  lonj;  h-^  to  it. 
Kvan  was  proud  of  his  present,  and  soon  asserted  that  his 
le«^  felt  Itetter.  Some  one  must  have  reminded  him  that 
lie  was  ne«rle«-tinif  me.  for  lie  stayed  at  home  eveiiiiiirs  now 
and  reail  to  me  from  the  hooks  he  could  iret  out  of  tiie 
Ueaver  lilmiry.  Thus  the  time  passed  pleasantly  with  ns. 
I  often  :rot  a  pieee  of  pumpkin  pie  or  some  <loii<^hnuts  fnnn 
Dane  of  the  Seivnes,  who  was  a  verv  <,'ood  eook. 


ClIAPTi:!!  XII. 

LIGHT     MKCilNS     To     DAWN.  —  A     (iKXKKAL    RXODl'S     ANI» 

KKl'ACK  AM)  I  AUK  LKFT  ALONK. — VISITS    I'liOM   TIIK 

INDIANS. — (ilLDKD     DKLUSIONS. — THE     ICK     IN 

TIIK  KIVKH   HKKAKS  VV  AND  \VK,  TOO,  (iKT 

IJKADV     TO     STAKT. 


Tlie  sun  was  now  l)eginiiin<j  to  rise,  and  as  we  had 
picked  u[)  some  biokou  pieces  ol'  glass  we  managed  to 
make  a  window  for  tlie  door  of  our  sliaek,  wliicli  vastly 
improved  the  interior.  The  first  streak  of  stnishine  that 
.shone  in  our  caliin  was  glorious  to  me.  The  sun  rose 
higher  and  higher,  the  dark  gloom  of  night  was  dispelled 
and  we  began  to  feel  like  human  heings  again.  All  of  the 
creeks  were  given  up  but  Me  Alpine's.  Thev  had  not  got 
down  to  bed  rock  yet.  Little  Frank  of  the  Jenny  M.  was 
the  main  operator  on  their  claim  and  felt  conlident,  as  he 
had  found  some  gold  part  way  down.  When  Frank  got 
down  to  bed  rock  and  found  nothing  there,  they  woidd  all 
pack  down  the  river  to  their  boat.  This  was  in  response 
to  the  order  from  their  president,  Mr.  Hill.  I  could  not 
hoi)e  for  any,  for  my  claims  were  among  tiiose  that  wore 
being  worked. 

The  Eclipse  men  were  to  come  in  the  twenty-fifth  of 
February  and  dissolve  partnership,  giving  each  man  a 
chance  to  look  out  for  iiimself.  Mr.  (rrant,  their  leader, 
had  gone  prospecting  when  they  were  building  their  boat 
in  St.  Michaels,  and  they  had  never  heard  from  him  since. 
They  were  unlucky  in  losing  men  in  this  way,  though  tiiey 

(214) 


LIGHT    BEGINS   TO  DAWN. 


216 


never  luul  hut  the  one  man  sick.  They  hail  a  good  cook 
and  range  and  lived  as  well  as  they  could  at  home. 

Lepage  had  not  returned  and  I  was  not  expecting  him 
as  the  trail  was  rather  uncerbiin  and  the  water  was  fiver 
the  ice  in  some  places,  making  a  slush  that  was  sometimes 
hij)  deej).  May  hade  us  good-hye  and  went  down  the 
river  with  a  numher  of  others.  J^ittle  Frank  found  no 
gold  and  tiie  .Fenn^'  M.'s  packed  down  the  river  to  their 
hoat — sixty  miles  ht'h»w.  The  New  York  party,  with  Dane, 
moved  in  the  Jenny  M."s  cal)in,  as  it  was  larger  than  their 
own,  and  intended  to  enjoy  themselves  until  they  were 
ready  to  go  down  the  river, — a  new  party  taking  the  shack 
they  had  deserted. 

Dr.  Dyer  had  heen  all  of  the  sununer  and  winter  getting 
up  to  Heaver.  The  doctor  was  slow  hut  sure.  He  never 
rushed  headlong  into  a  venture,  hut  took  his  time  and 
U«»ked  the  ground  over,  moving  very  carefully  when  he 
went  ahead,  lie  had  Iteen  all  this  time  in  getting  to  Hea- 
ver, so  now  he  intended  to  look  over  the  ground  that  was 
just  deserted  Ity  the  rest  of  Heaver.  He  had  a  i  inining 
little  device  of  his  own  he  called  a  mineral  rod,  which  would 
turn  in  his  hands  and  point  the  place  where  the  gold  was 
to  l»e  found,  lie  would  linger  some  time  in  Heaver  City 
inifore  going  up  to  the  creeks  and  wanted  to  iigure  just 
how  to  proceed,  lie  l)elievcd  that  he  could  lind  the  natu- 
ral source  of  all  the  gold  that  was  lying  in  those  creeks 
without  having  to  dig  for  it.  Dr.  Dyer  wouUl  never  dig 
for  it — it  was  too  much  work  ;  hut  he  could  tind  it  on  the 
surface  or  close  to  it,  so  he  played  cards  and  snuiked  for  a 
month  and  was  no  nearer  starting  than  on  the  fii-st  tlay  he 
came.  However  Dr.  Dyer  remained  with  us  as  long  as 
everything  was  pleasant  and  agreeahle,  then  went  up  to 
the  deserted  claims. 

One  day  we  were  surprised  hy  the  Indians,  who  were 
going  up  the  river  to  hunt  the  carihou,  witli  their  squaws 


210 


TO   TlIK   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIELDS. 


and  fiiiiiilies.  They  rainjied  near  iind  ciuiie  vinitiiij,'  us. 
Tlie  oftcMier  we  fed  them  tlie  ofteiier  tlioy  came.  I  hiu<j;lied 
at  one  Indian  wlio  seemed  piettv  hun;:ry.  I  jrave  him  a 
pfood  plate  t)f  lieans  and  lie  ettvered  them  with  condensed 
milk,  vinenar,  pejjper  and  a  little  sujifar.  The  most  inter- 
estinif  sijuaw  was  ohi  Tom's  wife,  who  rcmin(h>d  me  very 
nnuh  itf  some  of  the  white  women.  She  could  talk  very 
j^ood  Enirlish  and  she  did  love  to  talk.  I  gave  her,  as  well 
as  the  others,  eonsideralile  to  eat.  She  said  she  woidd 
iniiii;  UK',  a  piece  of  carihou  when  they  came  hack  from 
their  h\nit.  We  were  overrun  with  Indians  and  dogs  and 
the  like  during  their  stay.  When  we  stopped  feeding 
them  they  pulled  up  stakes  and  went  on  up  the  river. 
With  the  hallooing  of  Indians  and  yelping  of  dogs  they 
passed  our  shack  out  of  sight  and  hearing.  I  was  now 
getting  so  I  could  walk  over  to  our  next  neighbor's  to 
spend  the  evening,  hear  them  sing  and  otherwise  enjoy 
themselves,  with  a  glass  of  lemonade  and  piece  of  pie  to 
end  the  (ivening's  entertiiinirieiit.  I  was  gaining  strength 
rapidly,  ami  as  the  hoys  were  talking  of  going  down  the 
river  soon  I  was  in  hopes  to  be  well  enough  to  go  with 
them. 

One  night  we  had  Josie  and  her  hand  to  entertiiin  us 
and  «iuite  a  delegation  of  followers.  They  played  well  and 
Harry  sang  some  of  his  scmthern  pieces  with  guitar  for  ac- 
companiment. He  sang  some  love  songs  in  a  very  melan- 
choly tone  (»f  voice,  giving  a  great  deal  of  feeling  to  the 
piece.  To  i»lea.se  the  crowd  he  had  to  sing  it  twice.  I 
suppose  it  was  because  he  was  so  near  his  dej)arture  down 
the  river  and  l)ecause  .losie  was  favoring  another  young 
man  that  his  sadness  gave  feeling  to  the  song.  The  crowd 
seemed  to  think  so  too,  for  they  cheered  him  on  until 
Harry  began  to  take  a  hint  and  declined  to  sing  any  more. 

There  was  a  good  piece  of  pumpkin  pie  and  a  glass  of 
lemonade  for  all  when  the  comi)any  broke  up  and  seim- 


LIGHT    ItKGINS   T(»    DAWN. 


:»17 


mtt'd  for  the  iiij^lit.  Soim-  of  tlie  |Mirty  I  never  saw  agiiij). 
Poor  llarrv  alone  with  liis  sU'iirli  wmt  «h»\\n  the  river, — 
Ilarrv,  who  was  quite  an  amateur  aeroliat  and  claimed  that 
he  eonhl  stretch  his  sj»ine  six  inches.  He  tlion<;ht  litthj 
Krank  wanted  to  light  liecanse  he  ihineed  ahuie  one   niglit 

up  at   their  soeiai)le:  hut  now,  | r   llarrv,    with    a    sad 

lieart,  was  tliinkingof  tlie  woo«l  he  liad  sawed  for  Josie  whiU* 
he  was  phxkling  his  way  over  the  ti-iil  towaixl  Ked  .Moun- 
tain, only  to  Ik-  missed  in  Heaver  when  it  came  wood  saw- 
injr  time  at  Campljell's  eahin.  He  could  remember  how 
many  times  the  hoys  <rot  around  and  g-ave  him  the  hoi-se 
lanjfh  now  it  was  all  over.  He  wsi.-*  a  .sjuhler  and,  it  is  to 
he  hoped,  a  wiser  man  after  this. 

There  was  great  preparation  made  for  the  genei-al  exo 
dus  l)efore  the  iee  hroke  up.  Our  neighi>oi-s,  the  Serenes, 
were  getting  ready  ami  Kyau  and  I  had  made  up  our  minds 
if  Lepage  came  hack,  to  join  tiie  crowd  and  go  down  to 
Arctic  City.  We  als<»  felt  like  moving.  I  thought  the 
ehange  of  scene  would  help  me. 

We  had  not  heard  from  the  States,  ami  I  had  received 
no  lettei"s  from  lutme  since  I  left  San  Knmcisco  ;  neither 
had  they  received  any  from  me.  There  weiv  no  mails 
from  l»eaver,  although  we  tried  unsuccessfully  to  have  a 
mail  carrying  lettei-s  at  fifty  cents  apiece.  If  lettei-s  had 
heen  mailed  to  me  they  weiv  .strewn  all  over  Alaska.  We 
waited  until  the  fii-st  of  April  for  Lepage,  an<l  then,  as  he 
had  not  come,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  stay  Itehind  and 
luing  the  boat  down  the  river.  I{yan  said  he  would  stay 
with  me.  I  urged  him  not  t«),  liecause  I  knew  he  wanted 
to  go  with  the  rest,  liut  he  was  linn,  so  we  settled  «h)\vn  to 
stay,  when  one  fine  day  Lepage  ••anie.  He  had  no  load  with 
him,  (»nly  enough  to  live  on  while  he  came  up  the  river. 
I  was  surprised  and  disap|H>inte<l.  for  there  were  not 
enough  provisions  for  three  of  u>.  and  he  i'-.tught  none 
Avith  him.      He  got  a  «'ool  reception    f«ir  using  such  poor 


218 


TO   THE    ALASKAN   flOI.D    KIKI.OS, 


jiulj^iiu'iit.  Ill'  tVlt  it,  too;  HO  Uyiiii  siiitl  lie  would  gi. 
down  with  the  St'ieiins,  iiiid  I  was  t<»  ;;o  with  him. 

We  culled  torn  division  of  all  our  [jrovisions  and  caiiiii- 
ini,'  outfit.  This,  of  couisc,  took  sonie  little  time,  and  I 
was  ylad  when  it  was  liiiished.  When  the  time  came  for 
us  to  leave  Heaver  City,  Ryan  triecl  (o  pik'  iioth  our  out- 
titM  on  one  slei<;h,  and  he  .started  with  u\o  liehind  holding 
the  ^'ee-pole.  The  snow  was  soft  on  each  sidit  of  tlu'  tniil. 
and  when  the  sleigh  sU-wed  olV  over  it  would  go.  We 
took  olV  some  heavy  clothes  i)ags,  and  leaving  tiiem  on 
the  side  of  the  trail,  went  on.  We  had  ti|)|)ed  over  so 
many  times  that  the  rest  of  the  .sleighs  were  mostly  out 
of  sight.  I  was  tii'cd  out.  and  had  to  give  up  and  tuiii 
hack. 

IJyan  left  wiiat  lu'loiiged  to  me  on  tiie  side  of  the  trail 
and  went  on.  I  got  i)aid<  to  the  old  sliaek  again,  and 
Lepage  went  after  my  i)aggage  and  soon  returned  with  it. 
I  was  lying  on  my  l)ack,  a  pretty  sick  man.  Lepage  was 
very  kind  and  tidy,  lie  cleaned  our  shack  and  set  things 
in  order.  I  low  disappointed  I  was  in  not  getting  down 
the  riverl  1  found  that  it  would  not  do  to  lie  there  sick, 
so  1  got  up  and  did  the  cooking,  Lepage  doing  all  the  rest 
of  the  work. 

I  felt  lonely,  for  all  of  my  kind  friends  were  gone,  and 
strangers  had  moved  into  their  shacks,  'who  were  not  soci- 
ahle,  hut  kept  to  them.selves.  Dr.  Dyer  had  gone  uj)  on 
McAlpine  creek,  and  with  his  rod  expected  to  do  some 
pretty  good  wtuk.  Two  of  his  former  party,  having 
moved  into  the  .leiujy  M.  eahin,  intended  to  build  a  iK)at  to 
go  down  to  St.  .Michaels  when  the  river  hroke  u[),  which 
would  happen  alwHit  the  "iltth  of  May. 

The  Heavers  had  moved  d(»wn  to  their  boats.  The 
Eclip.se  and  Sunflower  had  gone,  as  had  also  the  North 
Star  people  and  Minneapolis.  This  latter  was  the  boat 
that  Josie  and  Campbell  were  in  and  no  one  was  left  be- 


MfiHT    MKfilNH   TO    DAWN. 


219 


liiiid  Ixit  u  fuw  iiit'ii  to  liriiijL;  down  the  siimll  l)(»at>  :  so  \vu 
)ia(1  IK)  ('oinpiiiiy  iiixl  iiotliinir  to  do  Ixit  lie  iiixl  wait  fttr 
the  river  to  hreak  up. 

A  party  of  the  KyU'  that  had  ltei<n  workinj^  up  tin- 
"  Help  Me  .lack  "  came  chiwii  and  took  ii|i  tlieir  (|uart«'i-s 
ill  the  Serenes'  caltin.  Tliey  had  l»oalN  to  bike  down  to 
Antic  City,  so  tliey  joined  the  waitinj^  party.  They  liad 
Hunk  shafts  sixty  leet  and  found  notiiin^,  so  now  they  were 
waitiut,'  with  tiie  rest  of  us. 

Doreross,  tlic  l)ooni(>r  of  tiie  Koyukuk,  was  a  sipiaw 
man.  He  made  his  living  hy  ^oinj.^  down  to  the  moutli  of 
tlie  Koyukuk.  and  inducing  the  peoph)  he  met  tlierc  j;oin<r 
up  tlic  Yukon  to  ijo  up  the  Koyukuk  instead,  liy  tellinp; 
them  st(uies  of  I  lie  faliulous  wealth  that  lay  within  the 
gold  hult  of  the  Koyukuk.  lie  himself  had  a  claim  that 
he  would  not  take  twenty  thou.sand  for.  The  Kyle  party 
had  fallen  into  his  trap.  They  enpi^ed  him  to  run  their 
steainlioat  up  and  down  the  river,  besides  <rivint;  him  a 
year's  irrid)  stake  tor  himself  and  family,  and  payinir 
him  for  his  services  on  the  hoat.  They  had  worked  ac- 
eordiu!.'  to  his  dietation,  and  here  they  were,  ready  to  <,'o 
down  the  river  without  an  ounce  of  <;old.  Doreross  hinted 
to  the  liowell's  peo|)l(!  that  he  could  tell  them  somethinj; 
that  they  would  like  to  know,  hut  they  must  tra<le  foi'  it, 
so  they  Itnill  him  a  line  shat^k  and  dance  hall  and  ,<,^ave  him 
a  yruli  stidie.  Then  they  ffot  the  .secret  and  worketl  upon 
that  creek  with  all  conlidence,  hut  found  nothinj,'. 

Other  men  were  operatinj^  on  tlit!  different  trihutaries. 
the  same  as  Dorcntss.  I  wondered  if  some  were  not  in  the 
employ  of  the  steamhoat  eomitanies,  who  were  carrvinif  on 
a  nefarious  business  hy  indueinj,'  men  to  leave  their  fiimi- 
lies,  and  mortL'iijrinir  their  little  heloujrings  to  pay  their 
passaife  up  to  Dawson.  .Many  families  were  left  destitute, 
for  the  craze  of  <rol<l  had  seized  their  natural  protectoi-s. 
und  thev  rushed  otV  to  Klondike. 


220 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    KIKLDK. 


I  h.'ivo  seen  llir  yniiiiir  iiiiUi  w  lin  stood   ImljIi   amoiii:'   tlio 
elitx?  (>r  Ills  town,  now  a  triiinii,  ilcpcndiiii:'  on  n  iVw  scuiity 


im> 


mis  for  wliiit  he  ii^ot    to  cat. 


W 


lo   IS  to  lilanic 


lor 


ill 


tliis  '.      'I'liu  .stcjiiiiliout  (•oiii|)a..ii's  aiv. 


Tl 


lev 


aptiiK 


th 


papers  that  ailvcrtisc  for  llieiu;  tlicv  pay  some  iiiisrriipii- 
loiis  scamp  to  (•(jiiic  to  the  States  and  reiioil  wliatcvcr  tlicy 
dictate.  1  saw  tlicse  men  wlieii  I  came  out  and  wlicii  we 
siflcd  tliciii  found  tliei'c  was  no  tnitli  in  llicm.      ( )nc    man 


was  aci|iiainted  with  was  iiiowin^  how  lie   had   striicU   it 


rich,  his  [lockels  were    hlh'<l    wilii   t;old.   lint   he   lioirowed 


mo 


iK'\  of  a  few,  foruettiiiii'  to 


|ia\    1 


1    1 


papers  irave  linn  and  his  l''ohI  a  i;rcat    | 
ill 


lacK 

iiitr. 


i  he  Seattle 


iirow   a  lew  dollars  on  ihe  streii  m  ol  H. 


and 
'I'l 


lie    collKI 


lese  arc 


Ih 


props  that  hold  up  this  ^jreat  dclnsioii  helore  the  world. 
It  is  straiii^-e  that  men  can  degrade  themselves  so,  lint  there 
are  |ileiity  that  will,  'ihroiigh  l)orero.ss,  iiundn-ds  of  men 
came  up  the  KoynkiiU. 


It 


was  Wilis 


pi'ied  to  us  that  the    Alleiikakat    was   wl 


icre 


'1  (ill  rah,  lio\  s  I  we're 


we  oii;.dit  to  i^o,  and  we  would  he  told  where  to  stake,  so 
we  ^vciil.  'i'liis  whisperinii'  made  one  feed  thai  he  was 
reall'  i^oini^'  where  i^old  was  to  he  found  in  plenty,  and 
having'  ast'crel  nave  one  conlid.  !■:•• 
ill  it,  don't  gi\e  it  away  !  " 

The  hooiii  from  IJeaver  City  was  made'hy  Dorcross.  Ft 
hroiiyht  men  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  from  all  parts  of 
Alaska,  only  to  liiid  everytiiiii},' sLiiki'd.     Money  would  huy 


il,  hut  tl 


ese  men  W( 


re   not  jroiiiii;  to   liii\,   instead.   talk<'«l 


loiidiif  eid'oreiiijif  Uiiiteil  Sl.ttt-s  law  and  jniiipiii<r  claims.  So 
it  was,  ■>  Have  your  <ruiis  ready,  hoys  for  they  caii'l  come 
here  and  hreak  throiii^h  our  laws."  W'v,  were  prepared  to 
lii^ht  for  our  (laiiiis.  if  need  he,  for  we  were  ri<;ht  and  they 


were    wroiiji;. 


There    was  a    houndarv    line   that  took    it 


tiie  eoast  of  .Vhiska,  g«)iiiji[  in'jo  the  inleri<ir  hut  a  little 
ways,  that  comes  under  the  law  oi  th?  I'liited  States,  and 
the  iiiililia  are  there  to   enfurce   it,   hut  away   in   the   inte- 


LKJHT    ItKCINS   TO    HAWN. 


.  221 


rim-  (lie  niiiicrs  nmke  tlicir  own  laws  so  loiii;  ii>^  it  docs  not 
(ontlict  witli  Unit  of  tilt'  riiit4'(l  Stiit(!s.  At  the  time  I  was 
tluTf  nil  coiiiminiitics  were  nilcfl  in  this  wiiv  witli  tlio 
(  nitril  Stiitcs  ill  tiit'ii-  WiicU.  'riif  miners  I  sau  were  not 
the  crowd  of  ron«>hs  that  the  newspiipers  speak  of,  hut 
rill  her  a  retined  lo|  of  men,  as  i>;ood  ,  ..i-how  as  the  aNcriij^e 
in  (he  States.  We  iiad  men  who,  when  at  home  lived  at 
their  (>ase  on  their  incomes,  and  men  who  did  a  \riMH\  inisi- 
ncss  when  in  ;he  St/itcs.  Theie  was  a  hank  cashier,  hacked 
hy  millions,  -little  l"'iaid<  of  the  .lenn\  M..  who  has  !)eeii 
miMitionc(|  hcforc,  ;ind  (|nite  a  nnnd^-r  of  doctors.  There 
were  Imt  few  hohoes,  for  it  was  too  far  for  that  clement  to 
come     Old  the  climate  did  not  suit  them. 

It  was  irettinir  alon;:;  aiiont  tiie  midiMc  ..t  April  and  we 
had  a  monlli  to  wait  yei.  I  wiMit  ilown  one  niyflit  to  the 
river  for  :i  pail  of  water,  w'.ieh  we  got  throuirh  a  hole  in 
tht^  i(  e.  riie  m<ion  was  shininij  hri'.(ht  and  the  niirht  was 
fiansfovmed  into  dav.  As  I  looked  alonj;  down  the  jrreat 
white  rivi'i'.  now  with  li\»-  feet  thickness  of  ice.  onr  only 
retreat  oul  <if  these  wihU.  I  >hnddcrcd  as  I  thouirht  ol'  the 
tiiiH-  we  had  to  wait.  I  ilreaded  the  [lassauc  do\\  ii.  \ei  | 
loii^'ed  for  the  time  to  come. 

What  iKaiitifnl  scenes  in  these  surronndiiiifs  I  'The 
dark  shadows  of  the  ti'«es  on  the  snow,  and    it  is  so  (piiet, 

iiothin<^'  hnt  the  ye||i  of  a  .Maliiinool  don  can  he  hcaid.  as 
he  sits  alone  in  some  open  spot  \\  here  the  moon  tan  siiine 
oil  him.  lie  raisex  ^ris  It^^^fl  towards  the  moon  and  iittei's 
those  lerrililc  cries  rtiat  we  hear,  so  iiiimaii  that  it  reminds 
one  of  the  ancient  vronthippeii*  oj  fhaf  planet,  hiil  the 
(loir  is  callinj;  the  rest  of  the  j»a<  k  aroiinil  him.  and  ihey 
are  all  soon  imitating/  him  with  tiieir  chorus  of  yelps.  I'liis 
is  k«'pt  lip  for  half  an  h^Mir,  wlicn  suddenly,  i  don't  know 
what  ciiiiscs  it,  whi'ther  o.ie  doj/  can  \elp  l*ett/'r  than  the 
others,  hnt  there  is  one  of  the  <rtvi»test  iipi'<«»'»  rHiaffiiw- 
liic      ihe\     arc    haviiiii    a    general    tijidt.       That   w  twi-kiJtK 


222 


TO   TMK    ALASKAN    COLD    KIKI-DS. 


noise  we  hear  is  niatle  by  the  owner  of  tiie  iIojj:  u  ith  liis 
cluh,  hreiikintr  them  ii)).  Miiny  jrood  dojrs  are  ruined  in 
thes(i  llylits,  for  they  l)ile  one  anotiujr  with  .savajre  ferocity, 
thouirli  they  are  not  considered  cross  to  men. 

The  Ahiska  sky  is  Hoinethinir  beautiful  and  wonderful, 
it  seems  so  clear,  this  winter  sky  I  speak  of,  each  star 
tryinj;  to  outshine  every  oth(;r.  and  the  Aurora  IJorealis — 
who  can  tell  what  causes  this  wonderful  vision  '.  It  is  in 
the  siuithcm  part  of  tiie  sky,  and  the  North  Star  is  o\cr 
our  heads.  Ixit  the  A  mora,  thishiiiir  and  llaniiiin'  ai-ross  the 
Hky,  diirtiui;  hither  and  thither,  reminds  one  of  the  reflec- 
tion of  some  <>:rcat    tire   tiiat   is    not   on    this   tjarth,    hut 


aMu< 


1st  rl 


le  snow  aiK 


1  frost  of  a  fro/.cu  at 


UKispnerc 


I  went  home  with  my  pail  of  wati-r,  and  thoutrhl  liow 
wcmderful  Nature  was,  showing'  her  works  e\en  hore. 
There  is  a  iiot  spring  or  fjeyser  up  between  the  head  waters 
i)fthe  Kowak  and  Kovuknk.  The  Kowak  enters  into  Ivot/e- 


)ue  Sound,  and  has  its  irold 


belt 


on   a    trail   near 


iws((n. 


1  was  told  liy  one  who  saw  it  that  tiiere  was  a  sand  sprin<^-. 
He  could  see  it  bubbliiitr  U|)  like  a  i»oiliii«r  spring' of  \\at<;r, 
ami  when  soiiu- wood  was  thrown  on  it,  it  instantly  caiiiiht 
fire.  There  were  spring's  of  water  where  we  were  that 
never  froze,  even  on  the  coldest  days,  but  kept  ruiiniiijr 
down  the  mouiitnin  and  fi'ee:dni>;  on  the  run,  makiii;j:  a 
Iwautifnl  vii'W  for  ph()to<rni|>liei's.  We  iiad  a  hw  of  these 
individuals  with  us.  and  thev  were  vcrv  i)usv  y:ettin<' these 


views. 


The  mountains  tiial  I'oulil  be  seen  north  of  us  were 
barren  rock,  crumblinjr  away  and  washin;r  down  into  the 
valleyK,  formin<;  the  laud  we  liveil  on,  washcil  tlieit!  by 
the  rivers.  Nature  was  doiiiir  her  work  of  destruction 
amoii^f  these  mountains  ;  ^■icat  en.'vices   and   jfullies   were 


(I 


all  washed  out  by  Uie  ruiinui<j^    rivers   in   tiie  sprin^r,    aiK 
hard  frosts  in  wiiit«'r.      We  felt  seciure  with  a  fro/.cii  foun- 
dation of  ice  and  siiow    under    us,   but    in   the  sunniier  it 


LIGHT    BKGIMS   TO    DAWN. 


223 


sepincd  to  inc  that  \  was  sUin<liiif:f  on  an  uiicortuintv,  sonie- 
tliin;,'  that  was  liahle  to  leave  any  inninent. 

When  Lepajj*'  ranie  in  that  niirlit  lie  told  nw  that  the 
two  men  of  tiie  Dyer  party  were  niakinjr  iea<ly  to  huild  a 
lioatt  eighteen  feet  and  four  feet  heani.  This  wa.s  to  he 
one  of  our  aniusenienis  luitil  (hme,  iov  we  prediete*!  <lisas- 
ter  to  that  hoat.  whiU-  they  said  it  was  all  rii^ht,  they 
knew  whiil  they  were  doinj;. 

The  <lufks  and  wild  geese  were  <|iiite  plenty,  iait  there 
was  only  one  gun  in  Heaver,  and  that  was  getting  them. 
One  line  day  an  Indian  «-anie  to  our  shack,  ,i  tall,  lithe 
fellow,  with  the  frame  of  an  athlete,  hut  he  was  hlack, 
although  he  had  gmid  features  and  talked  very  pleasantly. 
I  wauteti  to  learn  who  he  was  and  where  he  eanie  from,  so 
I  liroiight  out  a  new  pot  of  Ihmiis,  all  conked,  and  let  him 
go  at  them,  lie  laughed  and  ate,  ate  and  laughed,  until  I 
saw  the  hottoui  of  the  pot,  then    he  ijuit,  and   facing  us. 


salt  I 


(i 


d; 


w 


lere 


have    voii    iieen 


I   askeil. 


W 


ly  up  river:   me  h.int  carihoii. 


Did 


voii  <ret  aiiv 


'•  No.  nie  III)  eat«"h  'em. — no  >now.  iio  carihoii.  .Me  come 
two  da.s,  two  nights,  no  eat,  no  sleep,  plenty  water,"  and 
he  mea.suivd  on  his  legs  how  deep    the  water  was  over  the 


lee. 


lie  .said  that  he  was  a  liiinttM'  for   the   trihe.   ami   1 


le 


was  going  over   the  divide,     a    niiige  of  moimtjiins  that 


divided  the  Allenkakat  fioiii  the  Kowak  river,      lie 


would 


get  wooilcliuek  and  mink,  deer  and  mountain  siieep. 

These  sheep  have  a  thece  more  like  the  goat,  hut  it 
resemldes  wool  to  some  degree.  They  take  to  the  moun- 
tains when  mos(|uitoes  aie  pleiit\ .  like  the  (leer,  and  get 
al»o\e  the  frost  line.  When  they  see  a  smoke  they  come 
to  feed,  and  the   eraftv  Indian  is  there  and   <rets   his 


<|own 


game, 


He  told  how  nianv  moons  hefore    the    river 


would 


iiivak  up,  and  after  looking  over  my  ritle   ami   wishing  it 
was  his.  left  us  to  \\;\M'  a  long  sleep,  so  lie  said. 

Next  dav    loin's  wife  came   in    with  a   |Mece   of  carihou 


)12-i 


TO  THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    KIKMiS. 


iiu'iit  ill  lifi'  liaiitl  and  nlVcn-d  it  to  inc.  I  askcil  Imw  miicli, 
iiiiil  slit'  siiifl,  "  Me  no  sell,  iiu-  ,i,'ivt'."  I  cnukt'd  soiir'  of 
tlii.s  stciiiv  and  callt'd  it  fxcfllcnt,  -  it  was  ti'iidci',  and  liad 
mn  tlic  wild  taste  tliat  I  was  i'X|»'('tilij;  to  lind.  Slic  caiiit' 
next  day  witli  three  cliildreii,  and  I  intrudiiceil  tliein  tu 
tlie  never  failiiiir  lieaii  pot  and  a  i^ciod  eii|>  nl'  tea.  wliicii. 
alter  drinlvinjr.  slie  scraped  out  tiic  sii<,rar  witli  the  Uiiiiekle 
(it"  lici-  foretiiiLfer  ami  lappcil  it  witli  lier  tniiyiie.  'I'iiis,  I 
iititiccd.  was  I  iian  ctiijiietlc.  they  all  had  tlie  same  trick. 
She  wanted  U>  a|)|iear  vei\  nice,  and  talki-d  all  the  Knjf- 
lish  that  she  knew,  and  sonic  that  she  didn't.  Her  thii- 
drcii  kept  stariiiL''  at  inc  with  their  little,  headdikc  eyes, 
like  kittens.  I  otTcrcd  thi'iii  a  jiicce  of  liread  covered 
with  lieaiis,  which  tlie\  woiihl  <;ral)  mit  <d'  my  hand,  and 
when  they  had  it  up  to  their  inoiiths  would  look  at  nu; 
deliantly,  as  iniich  as  to  sa\.  ■*  ^  On  cant  yet  it  Iroin  lis 
now.  She  said  she  had  a  hard  time  eoinin<|  down  the 
river  and  had  hick  on  the  hunt,  no  siiow.  'I'heie  was 
al)ont  three  h'ct  ol  siiow  that  winter.  :ind  it  takes  livi-  feet 
to  make  a  sncccssl'iil  hunt  for  carihoii. 

The  snow  is  liuht.  not  like  the  snow  in  oiir  climate, 
damp  and  heavy,  luit  like  ;;;rannlaled  sii^ar,  only  not  as 
heavy.  It  docs  not  pack  under  the  feet,  hut  will  let  one 
thioimh  oil  to  the  L;ioiind.  I  have  seen  it  simw  when  the 
.sky  was  dear,  not  a  <  htiid  to  he  seen,  and  I  think  iT  was 
the  frozen  atmosphere,  not  many  feel  al>o\e  tlu  jfioiind, 
i'alliii;;  like  little  grains  of  siiyai,  Imt  so  cold  I  I  lia\e 
•seiMi  llio  snow  siiiialls  coNcrinj'  the  face  of  tlic  nioiiiit^iiiis. 


M 
while  alio\<'  it  all  was  clear.      *' T 


oo  colli   (o  SIloW  , 


I   I 


ia\e 


•  tteii 


lu>ar(l   said 


the   old    folk." 


it    must    moderate 


first:  "  hut  with  us  it  was  so  cold  that  it  passed  the  limit 
and  snowed.  The  colil,  di\  atmospliei','  was  what  caused 
the  scurvy,  which  was  a  distviipiM'  of  the  lold,  ami  tlio 
hody  siitTei'ed  for  the  w.int  of  that  uioistuic  we  wt-re  used 
to,  like  lisli  out    of   water.       The  llyiiii,'  lisl)   must  'eep  its 


LIGHT    IlKGINS   TO    DAWX. 


22a 


willies  <ltiiii|>  to  fly,  iin<1  man.  out  of  his  natural  t*lt'ni«>iit. 
must  snrtVr  witlioiit  moist  me.  The  doctor  told  mr  that 
ill  some  of  th*'  uiiddlc  states  scurvy  was  |uvvalciit,  and  lie 
hml  atteiide<l  plenty  ot  cases.  Potatoes  were  always  iiwd 
to  euiv  it,  aii<l  always  proved  a  success. 

Itut  I  must  return  to  Mrs.  'I'oni,  who  eaine  in  and 
l>n»u>f|ii  her  iiusliand.  A;ter  a  iVed  of  Uans  and  pam-aJies 
they  ii-lated  to  us  iiow  to  eateh  carilmu,  wiieii  tliey  liad 
plenty  of  snow.  Wiiy  they  went  in  the  spriiii;  was  U'laiise 
the  sun  liad  melted  the  suox*.  and  it  packed  enon<;li  to  Itear 
them  up  with  snow   shoes. 

When  they  found  a  ijronp  of  these  animals  they  atiacke<l 
them  with  s|H-ars  an<i  they  could  not  run  away  in  the  deep 
8IIOW,  so  a  irn-at  many  were  ireneraliy  siauLditered.  A  fea.st 
\vn.>4  made  of  the  tii-st  one  killed  and  they  had  pleiitx  <;o«mI 
time,  hut  the\  had  no  trood  time  this  hunt  and  they  were 
most  starved.  llu'\  and  tlu'ir  doi;s.  .Vs  Mrs.  Tom  said, 
.she  was  so  tin-d,  doy  ;r<»  litth'  way,  lay  down.  It  is  the 
Mjiiiiw's  dut\  to  hold  the  1,1'e-pole  aiid  steer  the  sleigh  and 
Mhip  the  dot's  aloui;,  while  the  Indian  marches  ahead, 
jiickiui;  the  trail  with  his  ifuu  in  his  hand:  Mrs.  S|uaw. 
with  a  host  of  little  pappooses  trviui;  to  keep  up,  all  on 
snoiv  shoes  followiu",^  dose  to  their  ma,  does  have  a  pit*tty 
lively  time  on  the  tniil.  Iletwecn  the  do>.'s  and  |iap|MMiMes 
she  wa.s  tiivd,  and  now  they  were  takin*,'  a  ivst  in  Hea»ver 
U'foiv  i;4iin<;  home,  which  was  only  sixty  miles  away. 

When  they  i^o  on  the  hunt,  every  memU-r  of  tlieir  fam- 
ily, sick  or  well,  must  lifo  too.  .\n  old  'ndiaii  woman,  a 
widow,  who  wa.s  very  sick,  had  two  sons  with  lier.  and  she 
like  the  rest,  was  wrap|K>d  up  in  her  rohe  of  ln'ar  skin  and 
was  1\  injr  without  shelter  on  the  ice  of  the  river.  >omf 
td  the  nu-n  li\  in;;  handy  li\  erected  a  tent  oxer  her  and 
pultin«r  a  stove  in  it,  luiiit  a  tire  and  said  t'  hei  son$i. 
*♦  Now.  yon  cut  \V(mmI  and  keep  a  tire."  They  replied,  "  No, 
ine  no  eiit  wihmI."       This   was   not    harddiearte«»»M-*s   hut   a 


22(! 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    GOLD    KIKLUS. 


duty,  tlii'uii«j;li  a  sii|K!niiilural  Ix'liL'f  tliat  thuie  was  ii  l»a<l 
spirit  ill  |»oss('ssinii  of  her,  and  if  tliey  i)uiU  a  lire;  tlitfy 
woiilil  \)v  ki'cpiiiir  liiiii  warm,  wliidi  hv.  liked  very  iiiiich, 
and  tlin  only  way  was  to  fn-c/.c  him  out  l»y  keeping'  the 
old  lady  on  ice. 

TheHe  Indians  stayed  with  us  as  loiiij  as  tiiey  ^ot  ted. 
liOpajje  took  aecoiint  of  stock  one  day,  and  li<rured  that 
we  iiad  only  cnontjh  provisions  to  carry  us  throii<:h  and 
none  to  j,'ive  away,  so  when  the  Indians  came  in  to  see  us 
aj^aiii  we  did  not  ask  llicm  to  eat.  Then;  was  a  plate  of 
Yukon  pancakes  on  the  tahle.  Irom  which  they  never  took 
their  eyes  for  as  niiich  as  live  lionis.  then  they  l»e<,nin  U) 
leave  us  and  the  last  one  said  as  he  passe(l  out  of  the  door, 
"  Me  so  hiinirry  I  "  It  scemeil  wicked  to  do  this,  hut  we 
had  to  have  over  two  months*  provisions  to  take  us  down 
to  St.  Miciiuels.  \Vc  could  not  make  the  Indians  uiider- 
stiind  this  so  they  went  away  with  hard  thoughts  of  us. 

Shortly  afti'rwards  on  a  lirii,dil  morninir  I  heard  them 
callini;  in  their  doirs.  which  had  lieeii  roaniin<(  all  over 
Heaver.  an<l  like  their  masters  picked  up  whatever  they 
ctuild  lind  to  cat.  <  )nc  dav  I  caiiirht  one  stealinj^  a  side 
of  liacoii  out  of  a  lic>\  \M'  hail  on  the  <aclie :  it  was  too 
heavy  for  him  so  1  took  il  away.  IIi>  master  would  not 
have  dared  du  t)ll^s,  for  si^'aliiiir  was  an  iiii|iardoiialilc  of- 
feiiee.  in  fa<-t,  a  iriiiie  Hit  in  the  miniiiir  flislricts  of  Alaskn. 
It  came  al)out  in  this  way.  When  the  lirst  tush  lor  Daw- 
son \Mi.s  made,  the  |K'opl(!  were  t,dad  to  meet  these  Indians 
to  irct  information,  ami.  of  course,  fed  them.  I'hey  soon 
found,  hnwever.  that  the  Indians  knew  hut  little  ahout 
gold,  so  they   had   no   further   use    for  them  and  tried    to 

f  t!u'   la/.v   ones   hiiiu>:  around 


freeze  them  out,  l»ut  .s« 


line  o 


and  pickeil  up  a  meal   here  and   there  aiiiong  th<^  miners. 
KiimIIv  the\  l>ct,Mii  to  miss  provisions  from  tlieir  cache  and 


set  wat«  11.      <  >iie  mall  win 


^UK 


1   a    Kodak   saw    the    Indian 


luxNiking  into  the  cache,  *iu.\    when   he  got  his  load,  tlie 


l-KillT    HKGINS   TO    HAWN. 


Kndiik  iiiaii  |)till(>(l  tlu;  string,  iiikI  the  Iixliiiii  liiul  a  tiiiu 
|)lioti><r|-ii|)li  taken  ri<r|it  in  tlie  ad  of  steiiliiig.  lie  waH  ar- 
n'stt'd  and  tried  liy  tlit-  nnnois'  triltunal,  found  <;iiiity  and 
sentt-nt'Cfl  to  l)e  inni}^.  \Viu;n  tin-  iian^dnj;  fanii-  ofl  In; 
was  pliotoirraplifd  a<^ain.  dan^din;;  from  llic  end  of  tlic  rope. 
Some  days  after  tliis  tlie  old  cliief  cd"  tlie  lrii)e  eanie  into 
camp,  niakin*;  in(|uiries  and  was  siiown  tiie  piioto  of  tlie 
man  witii  liis  load  from  tiie  caclie.  The  old  ciiief  ]au<.died 
l»nt  when  lie  saw  tin-  otiier  side,  where  ihe  Indian  was 
hau'^inir.  his  eountenanee  ehanged  aii<I  lie  Iteeame  sulky  and 
tletiant.  .  They  told  him  iliat  was  wliat  they  did  t()  any 
man  who  took  what  did  not  iieloUi;  to  him,  white  man  as 
well  as  Indian,  and  he  went  away  satisfied.  The  Indians 
had  never  st<ileii  from  the  whites  since.  I  have  seen  pro- 
visions eatdied  along  the  river  hank,  miles  av.ay  from  any 
proteetioii,  yet  they  were  lu-ver  distiirlted  ;.\  ;he  Indians, 
let  them  Im-  evei  so  hungry. 

They  called  in  their  dogs  prepinabirv  t<»  liieaking 
eaiiip  and  soon  I  heard  theii  shont.s  a>i<i  li.iots,  and  the 
yelps  of  the  dogs,  as  th-y  left  Heaver  for  tiic  next  mining 
eanip,  ami  all  Heaver  was  thankful  for  theit  exodus. 

The  hoat  liuilding  was  going  mi  hriskly.  and  I  saw  that 
oui'  neighi)ors  had  one  or  two  wild  geese  picked  and 
cleaned,  hanging  to  the  poles.  My  vcgetidiles  were  all 
gone,  ill  fact,  they  had  liet'ii  for  some  weeks.  I  had  leached 
the  point  where  I  couhl  just  get  aioiind  and  we  were  r«!- 
pairingon  the  olil  .Mary  Ann.  The  snow  was  ineliing  fast 
under  the  rays  of  a  hot  sun.  and  when' there  had  iiecii  three 
feet  of  snow,  was  now  hare  groiiml,  dr\  and  sandy.  Ica\  ing 
no  mud.  W'c  were  expecting  \h\  Dyer  down,  liefore  the 
river  laokc  up,  to  go  t.o  .\rctic  (ity  with  iis.  The  water 
was  running  over  the  ice  and  things  looked  tierce  along  the 
river  hack. 

We  gotonr  iioat  tinned  over  and  afloat,  waiting  for  the 
general  lin'ak  up  which  casiu'  with  a  rush,  and  the  juiii  oc- 


22M 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    (iOM>    KlKI-ItS. 


(Mirrcd  just  »m  tlio  point.  TIutc  was  a  "jfivat  ^rindiii^' ami 
crasliiiii;  of  ict-,  and  down  l)V  tlu-  iioiii'iii;^'  ISull  was  a  coni- 
pli'tc  dam,  from  one  side  of  tlin  riviT  to  tlic  otlicr,  tiic  wa- 
ter risiiit.'  even  witii  the  top  of  tiie  Itank.  and  in  some 
places  innninif  over  and  lillinjr  the  liollowaiid  dry  shiut>-lis. 
When  it  finally  irave  way  there  was  a  ;,M-eat  rush  id' 
water  and  ice,  erushinir  and  seourinir  the  lianks,  eanyin;r 
everythintr  liei'ore  il  within  its  reach,  linally  el)l)ini,'  away, 
leavin;;  ".'real  masses  of  ice  on  the  sand  liars  and  on  tlm 
slioal  places  aloni;  the  lianU. 

Next  day  there  was  another  jam  that  raised  the  \\at«'r 
hii,dier.  We  yoi  onr  hoat  (tver  the  hank,  in  anionjj;  tlio 
trees  where  she  was  safe,  and  I  went  np  to  the  point  to 
see  the  ice  c(mie  down  the  river,  whicli  was  Mocked  from 
the  Uoarimr  Hidl  np  to  this  point.  Ilerfwere  whirlpools 
that  wonlil  take  in  an  ice  cake  and  it  wcndd  disappear  l)e- 
neatli  the  snrface,  to  appear  aj,'aiii  down  anionj;  the  ict? 
near  the  Roarini,'  Hidl.  'I"he  river  looke<l  wild  and  would 
jam  away  ahove  ns :  when  it  hroke  ilown  it  came  on 
the  l!oarin<r  Mull  rapids  and  <rronn<l  in  some  places.  Wher- 
ever this  jam  liappened,  ii  would  tlnw  nvci'  the  hank  away 
into  the  low  lands,  and  the?  trees  were  killed,  died  and 
rotted  on  the  root.  What  desolalinn  I  ha\r  seen  in  these 
places  I 

We  were  ail  rcaiiy  pa(d<cd  tn  starl  when  the  ice  i^ol  out 
of  the    river.      W'c  thought    of    ihc    .lenny    M..    which    lay 


f 


rozen  in  near  the  center  of  the  rivci', 


low  < 


lid  tl 


lev  nian- 


aj^fe  when  this  tidal  wave  came  down  on  to  them  '.  I'erhaps 
it  was  worse  farther  <lowii  the  river  than  we  lia<l  it,  for 
old  .Arctic  City  was  swept  away  from  a  twelve  fool  hank 
anil  they  said  that  the  water  was  hiuitcen  feet  ahove  that 
hank,      it  was  measured  on  the  trees  after  the  tlood. 

The  new  hoat  was  launched  hut  would  not  stand  up  on 
her  hottom,  so  the  hnilder  was  afraid  to  ^o  down  the  river 
in  it.     The  Kyles  hail  an  extra  hoat  the_)  hd  them  have  to 


LIGHT    HK(JISS   TO   DAWN. 


229 


mnv  tlit'ir  Imi^^ratff  dnwii  itml  the  day  ranie  for  the  crowd 
to  h'uvt',  as  tlu'v  now  foii.Hiden'd  the  river  safe  from  ire 
Hows.  'V\\i'  watri  «as  falliiii;  fast  and  wi-  waiit4-<l  to  j,'et 
(h>wii  Ix-forf  il  was  tot»  Inw,  on  acroiiiit  of  tin-  rapids.  We 
eoiiid  ii*-ar  nothing;  of  tlic  Koariii;^  Hull  now.  the  watttr 
eov»'i('d  it  too  dfs'|>.  and  we  could  Moat  an\  wiieiv  over  the 
hai-s  and  roiks.  j  was  not  ready  to  j;o  with  tlie  rest.  I 
waiiU'd  to  ilo  roiikiuir  ••nonj^h  to  stand  us  down  to  Aretie 
("rty,  for  I  n  aii/.t-d  that  I  was  to  leave  a  ;:ood  warm  shack 
to  ;ro  (lilt  on  tiic  colli  river,  and  as  I  was  not  fully  ovt'r 
my  sickness  I  c\|K'eted  to  sutTer  a  little.  I  did  dread 
Icavinj,'  the  shack. 

W'c  were  now  the  only  ones  left  in  Heaver  City.  Dr. 
Dyer  liad  not  (mumc  and  we  could  not  wait  longer  for  him. 
Me  iiad  no  lioat  Iml  we  knew  he  W(»uld  j:et  <lown  the  river 
hy  some  means,  for  tlie  d«M'tor  s»'eme«l  to  like  str.ife<;y,  and 
no  donlit  woulil  enjoy  the  situation  when  he  came  to  know 
lie  was  left  itt  li<,riire  out  some  way  t4»  <n't  down  w  ithoul  a 
hoat.  I'eriiaps  he  could  tind  somethinj,'  with  his  mineral 
rod  that  would  serve  the  purpose.  We  did  not  feel  much 
eonceriUMl  ahout  the  doctor,  and  when  the  clay  came,  Le- 
pa^'e  loa(le<I  nnr  !)ai.',L'ay^>  intt»  the  Mary  Ann.  and  we  were 
ready  lor  our  lonir  journey  of  sixteeii  hundred  miles  to  St. 
Michaels. 


CHAITKIJ   XIII. 

\VK    KMItAltK     (»N     oil!     I,(»N(;     .!( u;  ItNKV. —  I     I'AliT     Willi 

M:I'.\(JK  at  ST.   MHIIAKLS. —  I'AKK    l'ASSA(iK    ON    TIIK 

l;oAN(»KK.-   A     lUI.'lAI,     AT     SKA.       AI!I!IVK.     AT 

.SKATTI-K.       ArltnSS     TIIK    ruNIINKNT. — 

llnMK    ACAIN. 


After  I  h'I't  the  old  shark  I  never  tunieil  Imek  to  lake 
a  last  look,  lor  there  was  iiotliiiitf  to  see  or  nMiieinlter  ahout 
it  itiit  siilVeriiifT.  I  jrot  on  the  l)oat  an<l  we  pnshed  away 
from  the  hank  an«i  were  soon  shootiiiy;  ilown  tlie  river  at 
jifieat  speed.  Lepaj^e  rowed  while  I  steered.  I  t'onnd  it 
fpiite  dillicnlt  to  keep  elear  of  the  heavy  ice  that  was  cauirht 
on  the  sand  hars :  with  a  mad  eiirrent  dasliin*;,  whirling 
and  t'oamin<;  aronnd  them,  it  was  hard  work  to  keep  our 
boat  from  heing  drawn  under  this  ice.  We  kept  going  all 
that  day  and  I  was  crumped  and  cold,  so  we  landccl  and 
pitched  our  tent.  I  c(»oke(l  supper  and  we  turned  in  to 
rest,  hut  the  s<|uawking  of  the  wild  geese  and  ducks  that 
seemed  to  he  in  stimc  ol'  the  lakes  or  ponds  kejit  nn'  l'r<nn 
sleeping  and  I  was  glad  t()  get  up  early  next  morning  and 
start  down  tiie  river. 

That  day  we  came  out  on  the  Koyukuk,  making  the 
passage  in  seventeen  running  hours.  We  had  no  tronliie 
coming  down  as  the  river   was   high   enough  to   carry    us 


over  the  rapids  without  danger, 


and 


we  camped  that  niglit 


on  the  site  of  old  .Arctic  City.  ICverytliing  looked  dilYer- 
ent  from  what  it  did  when  we  went  up.  The  Koyukuk 
was  clear  of  ice  and  we  hroke  camp  and   proceeded   down 

(230) 


Wr.    KMUAI:K    on   OI'H   LONO   .lorUNKY. 


231 


the  riviT  to  N»'\v  Arctic  Citv.  W'c  |»!iHsi'«l  Ucr«:niiiii  niiil 
saw  ii  lew  of  llic  stciimcrs  still  iayiii};  tlii'ic.  l»iit  jrniiijr 
tlirou;;h  a  course  of  repairs.  I  foi^rot  to  iiieiitioii 
tliat  we  saw  the  .leiiiiv  M.  steaiiiiiij.'  ii|>  tlie  river,  the 
Eclipse  was  thrown  upon  the  hank  a  total  wreck,  and 
alon<r  the  river  hank  in  ililTercnt  localities  were  the  Kot/.e- 
hiie  men  hnililin<r  hoat>i  U>  >!>>  down  to  St.  Michaels. 

Ah  we  neiired  New  Arctic  City  we  coidd  see  the  hcacli 
liiKid  with  lioats  j.'eltin<r  icady  to  jljo  down  the  river.  My 
two  days  in  tin;  lioat  had  wcaktMUMl  ine  consideralily  and 
when  I  ;.'ot  on  the  shore  1  could  not  st^md.  Menry  of  the 
Sorone's.  a  partner  of  I'inckley,  canu'  to  my  assistance,  and 
witii  Lepa<:c  helped  me  np  t()  the  Serene's  shack,  where  I 
coid<)  sit  down  and  have  a  (|uiet  rest. 

.\rctic  City  had  <.'rown  to  ijuitc  a  town  since  I  saw  it 
last.  They  even  had  electric  li<i;hts.  The  Kylcs  owned  the 
plant  and  tiie  town  folks  kept  it  in  lircwood  to  pay  for  the 
litrhl.  Dorcross  had  a  danct>  hall  here  and  ran  dances 
and  sold  honchc  a  sort  of  Indian  rum.  'IMie  women  who 
atU'uded  the  dance  were  thiee  s(|uaws  and  a  white  woman 
who  was  \\ashin<>-  for  the  na-ii  to  <fet  money  to  pay  her  wny 
out,  while  lu-r  hushand  would  come  alon*^'  as  soon  as  he 
could  and  the  hest  way  that  he  could.  I'hese  dancei's  made 
a  j,'rotes(|ne  appearance  in  their  Klondike  attire,  with  lonj,', 
hnshy  hair  and   lieards.   walt/.in;;  the  scpiaws  around  over 


a  roii<rh  and   uneven   tlooi 


M 


CM    Who   would 


lie   msu 


ted 


nt  the  otVer  of  such  a  drink  at    home,   turned   the    houche 
down  with  a  relish,  aftei-  treatiny-  the  stpiaw,  as  thoujjh   it 


was  the  hest. 


II 


ow  custom  wi 


Ii 


in<rc  people  in  thout;ht   and  action. 


Some  of  these  men  were  used  to  the  ijla.s.sy  waxed  tloiu'  of 


the  '1 


n  hallrooiii,  and  with  some  irav  iielle  on  his  arm. 


dressed  in  'ler  thuinces  and  furhelows,  tripjied  the  li<rht 
fanti  -;tii'  ti  some  of  Mozart's  sweet  strains.  Now  he  was 
coiiteiiv  wiih  a  s(juaw  dressed  with  her  loose  hlouse   made 


^> 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


Y 


^O 


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<^s 


.fi 


:/. 


Wj, 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


M    12.5 


—    6" 


I "-  Ilia 

1.8 


U    i  1.6 


V] 


<^ 


/] 


'a 


■c'l 


^;; 


y 


/^ 


Photograptec 

Sciences 

Corporation 


(V 


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^^ 


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<^.. 


■<^>. 


O^ 


23  W«ST  MAIN  STREET 

WSBSTER.N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


^^ 


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fc 

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232 


TO   THE   ALASKAN    GOLD   FIKLIJS. 


of  flour  sacks,  with  deerskin  legj^ins  und  inoooasins,  trip- 
ping over  the  knots  of  a  rougli  floor  up  to  the  deal  bar 
where  they  sohl  houche  and  paid  their  score.  I  believe  it 
cost  fifty  cents  to  dance  and  the  same  for  a  drink  or  cigar. 

Some  of  tliose  who  could  not  dance  stood  up  by  the  bar 
and  drank  this  Indian  rum  until  they  became  crazed,  and 
were  ready  to  pick  up  a  word  or  act  that  tliey  counted  as 
an  insult  to  themselves  or  somebody  else  and  fight.  This 
was  Dorcross's  dance  liall.  There  was  plenty  of  whiskey  uii 
there  all  through  the  winter,  al)ont  every  boat  liaving  a 
barrel  or  so.  .V  custom  house  ollicer  was  there  likew  ise, 
and  when  he  spotted  one  of  these  l)oats  tliey  generalh- 
Hlled  him  up  and  sent  him  rolling  home  over  the  ice:  no 
seizures  were  made  that  I  ever  licard  of.  I  don't  know 
what  tiiey  did  with  all  of  the  whiskey  that  they  had  up 
there  for  but  few  men  got  intoxicated. 

The  Anawanda  men  were  in  the  city  getting  their  boat 
ready  for  St.  Micliaels.  I  siiw  Tom  McArthui'  and  IJrady 
whose  legs  were  quite  Aveak,  liut  otherwise  he  was  all  right, 
and  IJyan  was  with  them.  Tiiey  iiad  a  net  and  fished 
niglits,  catching  ([uite  a  lot  of  nice  fish, — 1  don't  know 
what  kind,  but  there  were  a  few  greylings  among  them, — 
some  of  wliich  they  brouglit  over  to  the  Serene  shack. 
Dane  of  tlie  Serene's  was  staying  witli  two  of  tiie  Jenny 
M.  men  who  were  going  home,  one  of  whom  was  an  as- 
sayer  and  belonged  in  Philadelphia.  His  grievance  was 
President  Hill  had  ignored  him  and  his  office  and  as  the 
Jenny  M.  was  to  stay  in  another  year  he  left  and  Iniilc  a 
scow  about  fifteen  feet  lon<r  'I'ld  nine  feet  beam,  putting  a 
cover  over  lier  like  a  milk  wagon,  and  was  going  to  take 
comfort  drifting  down  the  rivei-  to  St.  Michaels.  May 
stayed  at  the  Serene  shack  and  was  going  down  with 
another  party  in  a  row  boat.  Pinckle3'and  Harry  and  two 
others,  one  being  a  doctor,  had  Ijought  a  ship's  life-boat 
from  some  of  the  little  steamers  up  there,  fitted  her  out 
with  a  sail  and  were  going  dovn  in  her. 


WE   EMBARK   OS    OUR   LOXG   JOURNEY. 


233 


I  was  very  sick  at  Arctic  City  and  aiiionjr  all  of  tiie 
steamers  of  my  acquainbince  none  offered  to  tow  us  down 
or  give  nie  a  passage,  but  Lepage  stood  i)y  me  and  was 
willing  to  take  me  down  in  tiie  boat.  We  ought  to  have 
had  .another  man  to  help,  but  there  didn't  seem  to  l)e  any 
one  to  join  us  and  1  made  up  my  mind  tliat  I  must  go  to 
St.  Michaels  in  my  own  boat,  with  but  one  man  to  take 
her  there.  Here  was  a  stretch  of  about  eight  hruidred 
miles,  ninety  of  which  were  sea  coast.  I  dreaded  tiie  ))as- 
^age  but  it  had  to  l)e  done.  If  I  had  l)een  in  good  health 
it  would  have  been  quite  an  undertjikiug,  but  now  I  was 
uncertain  whether  I  should  live  to  get  there  or  not.  The 
Swede  who  was  with  the  Serenes  was  preparing  to  stay 
another  year.  He  Avas  to  occupy  the  same  shack  and  liad 
built  himself  a  nice  boat  for  prospecting  the  creeks 
They  said  lie  was  "  gone  "  on  Dorcross's  wife's  sister,  a 
thrifty  young  squaw,  and  he  would  probably  go  into  busi- 
ness with  Dorcross.  The  T.iOwell  party  were  trying  to  boom 
some  place  up  the  Koyukuk,  claiming  that  they  were  pan- 
ning six  cents  a  pan,  but  as  the  river  was  too  low  for  steam- 
ers to  get  over  the  bar,  there  was  no  way  of  ascertiiining 
the  trutii  of  this  stateinen*^.  This  was  for  the  new  comer, 
liowevei',  not  for  us,  for  we  knew  too  much  about  such 
things. 

It  was  like  the  case  of  the  Jenny  M., — the  rich  com- 
pany at  home  that  was  backing  that  outfit  was  kee})ing 
her  in  there  to  sell  stock  on, — some  of  the  worthless 
claims  they  owned  uj)  the  AUenkakat  and  Ilogatiakakat 
rivers, — and  would  not  be  j^leased  at  the  return  home  of 
their  assayer.  This  was  why  they  did  not  like  a  man  to 
return  and  tell  the  truth,  but  would  stop  him  if  they 
could  by  setting  the  newspapers  on  him.  The  poor,  de- 
luded wretch  Avho  had  faced  the  hardships  of  the  Arctic 
winter,  would  get  a  great  roasting,  and,  of  course,  jieople 
in  general  would  believe  what  the  [lapers  said,    and  so  he 


234 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


was  ridiculed  as  a  hobo.  Thus  was  the  rascally  deception 
practised  by  these  steamboat  companies,  which  should 
not  be  allowed  to  entice  peo])le  with  their  gilded  delusions 
to  pay  them  a  big  price  for  a  passage  in,  a  liig  price  at 
their  wareliouses  for  provisions,  and  the  United  States 
government  pay  that  same  company  a  big  price  to  take 
them  back  to  the  States,  broken  in  health  as  well  as 
])ocket. 

Well,  we  were  about  through  with  Arctic  City,  a  place 
soon  to  be  deserted.  We  embarked  on  the  Alary  Ann 
one  fine  morning,  and  started  on  our  long  journey.  I  saw 
that  Ryan  had  put  a  few  fresh  fish  in  our  boat  that  night, 
which  1  was  thankful  to  get.  It  was  about  the  first  of 
June,  and  the  weather  was  (juite  fair,  so  we  made  a  good 
long  stretcli  the  first  day,  and  camped  for  the  night.  Tiie 
work  of  putting  up  the  tent  and  carrying  the  cooking 
utensils  upon  the  bank  was  work  Lepage  had  to  do,  as  I 
was  luiable  to  do  anything  but  cook.  It  was  a  good  deal 
of  ./ork  for  him,  and  I  began  to  think  up  a  scheme  for 
fixing  up  imr  stove  in  the  boat  and  sleeping  in  her.  One 
night,  after  setting  up  tlie  tent,  we  found  that  the  moscjui- 
toes  were  as  thick  as  ever ;  we  tried  to  sleep,  but  could 
not — it  was  a  repetition  of  the  last  sununer,  and  I  asked 
Lepage  if  it  wouldn't  be  better  to  sleep  in  tiie  boat  out  on 
the  river.  He  thought  it  would,  so  we  struck  our  tent 
and  got  out  in  the  stream,  where  we  found  it  a  little  bet- 
ter. We  drifted  and  lowed  all  night,  and  thought  it  a 
good  plan  to  keep  going,  night  and  day. 

It  did  not  look  like  the  same  river  that  we  came  up  on, 
the  water  was  higher,  and  the  shores  were  covered  part 
way  down.  We  had  a  Strong  breeze  against  us,  and  had 
to  tent  on  a  sand  beach,  where  we  stayed  two  days,  wind- 
bound.  Here  we  were  joined  by  a  man  who  came  down 
from  Kotzebue  Sound  and  the  Kowak  river,  and  he  gave  the 
country  up  tiiere  a  terrible  name.     He  came  from  Tennes- 


\VK    KMBARK   ON   OUK    LONG   JOURNEY. 


235 


see,  and  was  an  old  miner,  and  said  there  was  no  gold 
on  the  Kowak,  there  never  had  l)een,  and  never  would 
be;  that  ttio  formation  was  not  there  for  it;  that  the 
Koyukuk  was  a  better  lookin<;  country.  He  was  going 
down  on  the  Tanana  river  before  lie  went  to  the  States. 

There  were  plenty  of  mosquitoes  to  keep  us  awake,  and 
I  undertook  to  smoke  them  out  of  the  tent.  I  set  a  fire 
of  spruce  boughs,  and  soon  had  the  tent  so  full  of  smoke 
that  I  came  near  suffocating  myself.  I  started  to  go  to 
my  bed  after  making  the  smoke,  and  strangled  and  fell  to 
tiie  ground,  where  I  could  get  a  breath  ;  after  the  smoke 
cleared  away  I  came  to,  but. said  nothing  about  it.  I  asked 
our  Tennessee  friend  what  he  thought  of  the  experience. 
He  said  he  thought  of  the  two  pests  he  would  rather  have 
mos(iuitoes.  They  came  in  again  worse  than  ever,  and 
next  morning  we  embarked  for  down  stream. 

We  saw  plenty  of  ducks,  which  Lepage  shot  at,  but  did 
not  get  any,  althongli  he  wounded  a  few,  for  we  liad  noth- 
ing but  rifles  to  shoot  with.  We  chased  the  wounded 
ducks  down  stream,  but  found  that  they  could  swim  faster 
than  vfo.  could  row,  and  when  they  got  out  of  our  sight 
tiiey  would  swim  in  to  the  bank  and  hidfl  among  the  brush, 
and  we  could  not  find  them. 

I  could  remeniljer  some  of  the  landmarks.  There  were 
quite  a  number  of  boats  on  the  river  going  out,  many  of 
which  passed  us.  We  were  overhauled  by  Pinckley  in  his 
lifeboat  going  down  to  Nulato,  where  he  was  interested  in 
a  store.  We  saw  the  steamer  Aurora  dredging  for  gold 
on  a  sand  bar.  Twelve  men  had  worked  there  a  week 
and  found  ten  dollars  worth  of  gold,  so  they  were  going 
to  quit.  I  heard  that  the  Minneapolis  was  aground  on  a 
bar  up  the  river.  We  boarded  the  Jenny  M.  and  got  a 
gallon  of  syrup,  and  in  a  few  days  we  drifted  out  on  the 
Yukon  and  headed  down  for  Nulato,  where  we  arrived  the 
next  morning,  passing  two  large  river  steamei-s  bound  up 
to  Dawson  loaded  with  freight  for  the  warehouses. 


286 


TO   THB   ALASKAN   GOLD   FIELDS. 


We  liindefl  at  Nnlato  and  found  the  banks  lined 
with  hoiits  ol'  all  kinds,  (jiiite  a  nnniher  of  small  river 
steamers,  and  Piuckley's  lifehoat.  Dane  was  there  sellino- 
hoar  meat,  one  they  had  shot  coming  down.  There  was  a 
post-oflioe  at  Nnlato  and  a  few  shacks,  with  a  larire  num- 
ber of  Indian  tents,  where  the  Indians,  who  were  pilots  on 
the  Yukon,  kept  their  scpiaws  and  pappooses.  We  ft)und 
that  the  Jenny  AI.  had  i)een  there  ami  {^fot  letters  that  sent 
her  back  uj)  the  Koyidvidv.  I'inckley  was  to  stay,  and  so 
was  Henry,  their  business  concerning  a  store.  I  never 
saw  the  lifeboat  afterward,  so  I  think  she  must  have 
stopped  there. 

We  left  Nnlato  the  same  day  we  arrived.  The  winds 
■we  were  gettin<r  on  the  river  were  not  good  for  our  square 
sail,  so  one  day  we  landed  and  transformed  it  into  a  sprit 
sail,  and  after  that  we  could  do  considerable  sailing.  One 
day  we  met  an  Indian  with  whom  we  traded  an  iron  bucket 
for  a  large  salmon.  It  was  ratliei-  dillicult  to  keep  the 
regular  channel,  the  river  was  so  wide,  with  many  islands 
and  sloughs.  One  day  we  got  on  the  sand  where  the  water 
was  so  low  that  our  boat  w'ould  not  float ;  there  were  miles 
of  this  shoal  water,  and  we  did  not  know  how  to  find  our 
way  out  of  it,  i)ut  we  finally  got  out  of  the  scrape  i>'ith 
our  usual  good  luck. 

I  sat  up  and  steered  when  I  could,  but  I  was  getting 
very  weak  and  liad  to  lie  down  most  of  the  time.  We 
were  i)assing  Holy  Cross,  and  the  sun  was  so  hot  it 
burned  my  hands  to  the  bone,  and  I  thought  my  head 
would  split  from  the  heat;  with  no  j)rolection  over  our 
heads,  the  heat  was  almost  unbearable.  We  had  this  for 
two  days,  and  then  we  drifted  inti>  the  coast  weather, — 
overcast  sky  and  rain,  with  considerable  wind.  On  the 
lower  part  of  the  Yukon  everything  was  changed  ;  the  banks 
looked  marshy,  and  tlie  land  in  general  was  boggy.  Willows 
and  alders  covered  the  banks  and  we  depended  on  drift- 


WE    KMBAHIC   ON   OUll    LONG    .JOUKNKY. 


237 


wood  to  cook  with.  The  singing  of  birds  had  ceased.  The 
mountains  touched  the  river  on  certiiin  points,  otherwise 
they  were  to  he  seen  over  this  boggy  level  miles  inland. 
The  Indians  here  used  boats  made  of  the  sealskin.  His 
shack  was  built  of  the  logs  he  picked  uj)  along  the  shore. 
The  weather  was  colder,  and  I  suifered  a  great  deal. 

We  saw  the  Reaver  steamer  pass  us  one  day.  It  rained 
so  hard  that  we  hauled  in  a  slough  and  stopped  two  days. 
We  got  down  l)y  Andreafski  and  had  to  put  into  the  moidh 
of  a  slough,  where  there  was  an  Indian  village.  This  I 
tried  to  avoid,  for  the  Indians  were  regular  pests, — they 
wanted  everything  that  they  saw,  and  they  saw  every- 
thing you  had, — so  I  ran  pretty  well  up  the  slough,  but 
they  came  after  us  in  their  canoes  and  hung  on  to  our 
boat,  lauyrhing  at  everything.  They  handled  everything 
wo  had  and  looked  into  everything.  I  did  not  like  this 
familiarity  very  much.  I  had  my  shaving  outfit  in  a 
large  tobacco  can,  with  a  l)lue  lal)el,  and  as  thev  had 
asked  for  tobacco  and  we  said  we  had  none,  they  did  not 
believe  us,  for  they  recognized  this  can  as  a  tobacco  can. 
They  were  determined  to  look  into  it,  but  1  forbade  them, 
and  had  to  take  it  from  them.  This  they  did  not  like  and 
grew  sulky,  and  tried  to  annoy  us  in  different  ways. 

A  white  man  came  in  there  alone  in  his  boat,  and  it 
always  seemed  to  me  that  he  had  stolen  it  and  run 
away  from  some  place.  He  had  nothing  to  eat  but  some 
salmon,  yet  he  would  not  acknowledge  it.  He  took  our 
scraps  of  bacon  and  I  gave  him  some  pancakes.  He 
claimed  to  have  come  from  Dawson.  One  morning  he 
rowed  out  and  did  not  return,  so  we  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  weather  was  better  outside,  and  we  cast  off 
and  rowed  out,  and,  although  the  .wind  blew  pretty  hard, 
wo  found  better  weather  after  getting  around  a  headland. 
We  went  on  for  some  days,  until  we  found  that  we  did 
not  have  so  much  current.      We  were  nearing  the  mouth 


238 


TO   THE    ALASKAN    GOLD    FIKLDS. 


of  tlic  Yukon,  uiul  what  troiihled  ii.s  wus — wero  \vc  in  Iho 
rijrlit  channel,  for  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  a  deila. 

We  landed  at  an  Indian  camp,  traded  for  a  salmon,  and 
were  told  that  we  were  on  tlie  rlgiit  track.  So  we  soon 
found  ourselves  steerinj^;  out  iiy  the  iieacons  on  IJerinjf  Sea. 
We  had  to  keep  in  the  ciiannel  until  we  were  (juite  a  way 
off  from  the  shore,  which  was  a  higli  muddy  l)ank,-eovered 
witli  a  low  jrrowth  of  willows.  We  found  that  the  cu  - 
rent  was  running  in  the  direction  that  we  wanted  to  go 
and  the  wind  favored  us,  so  we  sailed  along  the  same  as 
we  had  on  the  Yukon,  watching  for  whatever  might  turn 
up  that  would  direct  us  to  St.  Michaels.  We  sailed  all  of 
tiiat  tide  and  met  the  ehb,  then  putting  in  to  tlie  bank  made 
fast. 

I  had  no  more  idea  of  the  way  into  St.  Michaels,  than 
a  man  that  had  never  been  there.  Tiieie  was  an  inland 
passage  that  all  boats  took,  but  our  ma|)  gave  us  an  idea 
that  it  was  a  wide  channel,  and  this  is  wliat  1  looked  for. 
After  another  day  and  night's  sail,  we  sighted  a  long 
stretch  of  land  protruding  out  into  the  sea,  while  a  few 
miles  away  was  another  stretch  of  high  laud  that  I  took 
fur  an  island.  We  made  up  our  minds  that  it  must  be  St. 
Michaels,  and  decided  to  slia[)e  our  course  for  it.  As  we 
had  a  line  day  and  fair  wind  we  were  soon  on  the  shores 
of  tl)e  island. 

licpage  climl)ed  to  the  top  of  a  mountain  and  saw  notli- 
ingof  St.  Michaels.  He  said  that  it  was  an  island.  He 
saw  some  tents  and  in  one  ])lace  some  seals,  so  we  talked 
the  situation  over.  He  said  be  thougiit  we  had  passetl 
the  channel  into  St.  Michaels  when  I  was  asleep.  He 
thought  it  best  to  go  back  to  this  place,  and  as  be  saw 
some  tents  there  we  could  inquire  the  way  in.  I  agreed, 
and  we  again  headed  our  boat  for  the  coast  that  was  some 
miles  away.  The  sky  looked  dark  and  heavy  and  1  felt 
that  we  might  have  a  storm,  for  which  our  boat  was  not 


^ 

^^^^k!^^'^'  '.^^^^^^I 

k 

Bjj^^^  "^  — '^^38HP^^4 

^w^ 

w—  ■    ■— -^ 

j^B|9 

Ea^^^rfMpSpP"!" 

!l^  \!jm 

^H 

r^ 

s^;^^* 

^ 

w 

SIKU  W:  1    ISI.ANli 


WK    KMUAKK    ON    OUR    LON(i    JOUHNKY. 


2!5i> 


fit.  W(!  must,  tliereCore,  find  a  place  to  get  in  m  soon  as 
we  eould.  We  <;ot  pretty  near  the  place  wlierc  we  ex- 
pected to  (ind  sluilttjr,  wiuMi  I  noticed  tlie  land  was  gettinjf 
away  from  iis  very  rapidly. 

Then  I  thought  oF  the  flood  tide  cominir  in,  against 
which  it  was  no  use  to  try  to  sail,  so  we  sipiared  away  up 
the  coast,  and  as  I  lay  down  exhausted,  I  told  Lepage  to 
run  in  the  first  opening  and  tie  up  for  the  night.  There 
was  (jnite  a  ehop[»y  sea,  that  I  did  not  like,  and  it  was 
getting  along  into  the  night.  I  went  to  sleep,  hut  was 
soon  awakened  hy  the  boat  pounding  on  rocks.  I  could 
hear  the  roar  of  the  sea  and  knew  hy  the  wet  covering 
over  mo  that  water  was  washing  in,  so  I  got  up,  and  what 
a  dismal  place  ve  wore  in  I  I  asked  licpage  why  he  put 
in  there,  and  he  replied  that  it  was  so  dark  he  took  it  for 
the  mouth  of  a  slmigh. 

I  told  him  we  must  get  out  of  it,  but  he  did  not  believe 
that  he  could  row  out  against  the  wind.  •'  Then  you  will 
have  no  boat  here  in  the  morning,"  I  said,  "  she  can't  stand 
tyds  thumping  much  longer."  This  frightened  him  and  he 
turned  to,  got  the  boat  out  and  rowed  and  sailed  up  the 
coast.     He  told  me  to  lie  down  again. 

I  took  a  look  at  that  long  blue  point  of  land  that  we 
were  nearing  and  feared  to  venture  aroiuul — for  we  did 
not  want  to  miss  St.  JNIichaels — and  get  away  up  in  Nor- 
ton Bay,  for  I  began  to  realize  more  than  ever  that  our 
boat  was  not  fit  for  the  open  sea.  She  woidd  duck  under 
forward,  and  I  knew  that  she  would  swamp  in  a  very  bad 
time ;  but  I  lay  down  to  inspire  Lepage  with  confidence. 
The  next  time  I  awoke  he  had  turned  a  point,  the  sea  was 
running  high  and  the  wind  was  blowing  almost  a  gale. 
There  was  no  slough  here,  as  we  expected,  but  a  good 
sand  beach.  The  point  sheltered  us  from  the  wind  but 
not  from  the  sea,  and  it  rained  as  hard  as  it  could  pour. 
I  dressed  in  my  oil  skins  and  we  anchored  our  boat,  which 


'J40 


TO   TIIK    ALASKAN    (i()M»    KIKI.DS. 


rode  V(MV  well.  We  Imilcd  out  tlic  water  lliiit  she  liiid 
taken  in  and  Hal  down  and  wailed. 

SoDn  we  saw  annllier  Ijoat,  witli  t'our  men  in  liei',  eonio 
around  liie  point  and  land.  'I'liey  ]>ulled  tlie  Itoat  up  oul 
of  the  I'cacli  of  the  surf.  I  felt  so  iniseral)le  I  eoidd  not  sit 
iij)  any  lonj^er;  my  hed  was  wot  tlirou<;li  and  it  mined  so 
I  eould  not  lie  down.  I  told  Lepaj,'e  we  liad  l)ettei' 
land,  for  I  couldn't  stand  this  any  longer;  so  lie  j»ulle(l  up 
(ho  unehor  and  drop|)ed  in.  We  found  the  hoat  would 
till  on  the  beacOi,  so  liepage  thre"/  out  the  tent  and  stovo 
und  I  jumped  on  the  lieach,  jfoing  down  in  u  heap.  He 
pushed  ofl'  to  anchor  ajfain  and  the  men  that  had  landed 
before  eanie  aloni,'  and  set  up  my  tent  and  stove.  I  soon 
had  u  hot  lire  g'oin<f  and  laid  down  (tn  the  wet  ground  to 
re.st. 

'I'hese  other  men  were  of  the  wrecked  steamer  Klsie  W., 
and  like  us  had  missed  the  inland  passage  and  were  caught 
in  the  storm.  They  said  that  we  must  go  aiouiul  that 
point,  the  one  we  feared  so,  to  get  to  St.  .Michaels.  Ilow- 
eyer,  the  weather  cleared  up,  i..e[tage  got  on  shore,  and  we 
took  our  Ijeds  up  around  the  stove  and  dried  them  out. 
This  was  the  best  can^)  ground  that  wt'  ever  had.  There 
were  but  lew  mos(|uitoes  und  we  could  enjoy  a  good  rest. 
Some  Indians  came  along  and  told  us  that  St.  .Miehai-ls 
was  nine  miles  over  there — pointing  across  the  isthmus. 

We  were  well  pleased  now,  and  after  two  days'  i-est  and 
fine  weather,  we  embarked  again,  for  we  found  that  St. 
IMichaels  was  thirty  miles  away.  We  had  a  good  current 
with  us,  setting  us  around  the  dreaded  Cape.  We  could 
hear  the  steamboat's  whistle  (piite  plainly,  and  the  wind 
being  fair,  we  soon  came  up  on  St.  ^Michaels.  We  saw  the 
ships  laying  off  in  the  harbor,  next  a  [)()int  of  land  and  a 
little  island  on  the  end  of  it,  and  behind  this  point  was  St. 
Michaels. 

I  found  that  the  island  we  had  stopped  on  was  Stewart 


WE   EMUAUK   ON   OUR    LONG   JOURNEY.  241 

Island.  Before  us  was  the  orjjp  I)etween  the  point  and  lit- 
tle island,  and  for  this  gap  we  steered.  We  found  a  i-eef 
of  rooks  across  it,  harring  our  way,  but  tliere  was  a  place 
where  we  could  push  through,  and  we  were  soon  around 
the  corner  and  in  St.  Michaels,  whei-e  we  jiitt-hed  our  tent 
on  the  sand  beach.  This  was  the  fourth  of  Julv  and  I  was 
as  happy  as  a  schoolboy,  to  know  that  my  boating  was 
over.  There  were  plenty  of  Klondikers'  JKtats  on  the 
beach  with  no  owners — they  having  either  got  a  {jassage 
or  gone  up  to  Cape  Nome. 

In  fact,  the  first  thing  I  heard  was,  "  Go  up  to  Cape 
Nome ;  they  have  struck  it  up  there."  The  N.  A.  F.  com- 
pany was  reaping  a  harvest,  carrying  more  victims  up 
there.  All  inducements  were  held  out  to  excite  people 
who  had  come  down  the  river  to  get  the  last  dollar  they 
had  to  go  rp  there.  I  know  l)etter  than  to  think  of  going, 
feeling  sure  it  was  only  a  l)oom.  You  could  get  ten  dol- 
lar's a  day,  we  were  told,  and  perhaps  you  eouUl  when  you 
got  a  job;  but  what  wa**  there  to  do  when  you  got  there  '. 
Why,  nothing.  Men  gencniUy  did  their  t)wn  work  and 
could  not  afford  to  hire  unless  there  was  a  mine  panning 
out  enough  to  pay  to  hire  help ;  but  that  would  not  furnish 
help  for  one  thousand  men,  so  what  chance  was  there  to 
hire  (jut  (  It  was  no  good,  although  the  papei's  had  l»een 
blowing  about  it  for  two  yeai's  ;  l)ut  pa[>ers  work  for  money 
as  well  as  the  rest  of  us. 

I  learned  that  Ryan  had  been  down  and  ship|)ed  on  a 
Dawson  steamer,  Imt  I  never  saw  any  oi  the  l»oys  of  my 
acquaintance.  St.  Michaels  had  changed  since  I  rti>t  saw 
it.  There  were  great  warehouses  with  steamei's  huxling 
the  freight.  The  pay  for  helf)  was  fifty  cents  an  hour  and 
find  yourself.  I  tohl  I^epage  the  second  day  after  we  landed 
to  go  and  see  what  my  chances  were  for  getting  to  Seattle, 
for  the  longer  it  was  put  off  tlie  woi-se  I  was  getting.  lie 
went  to  see  the  army  surgeon,  who  told  him  to  bring  me 


242 


TO   THK   ALASKAN   GOT^D   FIELDS. 


over.  Mis  (luarters  were  in  old  St.  Michaels, — a  long  dis- 
tiince  from  where  we  camped ;  so  he  oaiue  back  and  took 
me  in  the  boat. 

That  was  my  last  ride  in  the  Mary  Ann,  for  when  the 
surgeon  saw  me  he  knew  my  trouble  and  took  me  before 
the  captain,  saying  that  I  o\ight  to  be  sent  home  and  he, 
tlie  captain,  agreed  with  him.  Lepage  went  after  my  bag- 
gage, and  as  the  steamer  Roanoke  was  about  to  sail  he 
put  me  on  board  ox  her,  They  had  quite  a  time  getting 
me  up  over  the  liigh  side  of  this  boat.  I  shook  hands  with 
l^epage,  who  ff:lt  badly  disappointed  to  think  that  he  was 
left  behind.  He  had  been  so  kind  and  faithful  to  me, 
In-inging  mo  down  sixteen  hundred  miles  of  river,  that  I 
felt  sad  tc  part  with  him.     It  was  the  last  1  saw  of  him. 

1  found  myself  in  the  steerage  among  a  lot  of  sick  min- 
ers— sorae  from  Cape  Nome,  and  who  had  been  up  there 
all  winter.  One  young  fellow  had  a  lame  foot.  He  was 
very  sick  with  it,  sufi'ering  pain  all  of  the  time.  Out  of  a 
party  of  fourteen  but  eight  of  them  were  left.  There  were 
no  trees  up  there — oidy  the  driftwood  to  build  the  shacks 
and  to  keep  warm  with.  Nothing  l)nt  a  low  growth  of 
willows  grew  on  the  marshy  soil.  Sickness  and  death  were 
the  outlook  for  the  winter.  "  Is  there  any  gold  up  there  '.  " 
I  asked.  "  No,"  he  said,  "  there  is  none.  I  have  a 
friend  on  this  boat,"  he  continued,  "■  whom  we  found  frozen 
nearly  to  death  on  the  tndl,  but  we  worked  on  him  and 
brought  him  around  all  right,  without  his  losing  leg  or 
lind).     There  is  no  gold  there." 

This  young  man  I  felt  sorry  for.  He  feared  that  he 
would  lose  his  foot.  There  was  another  man  with  his 
fingers  gone  from  both  hands.  His  name  was  Smith  and  he 
came  from  Dawson.  Then  there  were  a  number  of  very  sick 
men  in  the  berths  between  decks — one  of  whom  they  had 
never  expected  to  land  in  Seattle.  The  young  man  lent 
me  one  of  his  crutches  and  I  coidd  get  around  the  boat  to 


TlIK    lUKlAL    AT    -.EA. 


/ 


WE   EMBARK   ON    OUR    LONG   JOURNEY.  243 

look  her  over.  She  was  a  fine  iron  craft  of  modern  build 
and  fit-out  and  was  lyinpf  here  waiting  for  a  steamer  from 
up  the  river.  When  the  latter  boat  came  down  we  weighed 
anchor  and  left  St.  Michaels  for  Dutch  Harbor,  where  we 
were  to  coal  up.  Tliere  was  a  tliick  fog  and  we  moved 
along  very  slowly,  feelinji;  every  incii  of  the  way.  The 
boat  was  crowded  at  meal  time  at  the  table,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  set  three  tal)les.  We  had  everytliing  fresh 
and  plent}  of  pofcitoes. 

We  liad  one  dead  man  on  board  from  away  up  the  Koy- 
uknk,  and  another  poor  fellow  wlio  was  about  breathing 
his  last.  We  were  out  of  port  only  three  or  four  days 
when  he  died.  I'hey  sewed  him  up  in  his  canvas  l)ag,  and 
at  twelve  o'clock  that  niglit  the  steamer  stopped  wliile  he 
lay  on  the  plank.  The  burial  services  were  read  over  iiim, 
the  last  "  amen  "  was  suid,  and  lie  was  launched  into  the 
deep.  This  was  the  most  impressive  burial  that  I  had  ever 
witnessed.  The  night  was  dark  !ind  gloomy  as  we  lay  in 
a  fog  baidv  that  spread  over  us  like  a  great  pall.  All  was 
still  and  the  purser's  voice  sounded  weird  and  strange  as 
he  read  the  service  for  the  dead.  Now  and  then  the  wash 
of  a  wave  against  the  dark  iron  sides  of  the  vessel  was  all 
we  couhl  hear.  "  Amen."  Then  the  splash  as  he  sank 
beneath  to  the  sailor's  grave.  The  i)ell  rang  to  go  ahead 
and  we  soon  felt  the  throb  of  the  great  engines  as  they 
spun  the  propeller  around,  si)eeding  us  away  on  our  coui-se 
again  as  though  nothing  of  any  note  had  taken  place. 
Mad  he  friends  who  would  ever  know  where  his  body  lay  i 

I  saw  a  titll  young  man  called  Ilarr}-  who  always  seemed 
to  be  pretty  well  filled  up  with  the  Roanoke's  bad  whiskey. 
He  was  booming  Cape  Nome  for  all  he  was  worth,  and  it 
was  reported  that  he  had  struck  it  up  there  and  sold  out 
for  seven  thousand  dollars.  I  felt  that  I  had  seen  this 
man  before,  but  was  unable  to  recall  any  cinnimstances  or 
place  whore  I  had  seen  him.     He   was   the  man  that  the 


244 


TO   THE   ALASKAN   GOLD   PIKLDS. 


young  Cape  Nome  fellow  had  picked  up  so  hiidly  frozen, 
but  he  looked  pretty  healthy  now  and  kept  things  lively 
whei'ever  lie  appeared.  He  claimed  that  there  was  ])lenty 
of  gold  up  to  Cape  Nome,  while  the  young  lame  fellow 
said  there  was  none.  The  latter  told  the  trutii — there  was 
none. 

The  former  man  was  evidently  paid  by  the  steamboat 
company  to  tell  this  story  and  he  was  telling  it.  I  liad  no 
conversation  with  him  for  1  did  not  believe  in  him.  The 
fourtli  day  from  St.  Michaels  we  came  out  of  the  fog  and 
entered  Dutch  Harbor.  Yes,  tiiis  was  the  place  where  I 
had  stopped  on  the  Jiaydn  IJrown  one  year  ago.  It  was 
not  as  lively  now  as  then.  There  were  no  steamboats 
building  now,  and  tlie  place  had  the  ajipearance  of  being 
very  dull.  We  went  into  the  wharf  and  began  to  take  in 
coal.  I  did  not  land,  for  there  was  nothing  there  to  interest 
me.      We  took  in  five  hundred  tons  and  left  for  Seattle. 

We  had  four  head  of  live  beeves  for  tlie  use  of  the  pas- 
sengers, and  at  intervals  the  butcher  would  bring  out  one 
of  these  steei-s  and  dress  him  for  the  table.  We  had  boiled 
potatoes,  fresli  salmon,  salt  salmon  and  a  dish  tliey  called 
Mulligan.  I  was  under  tlie  care  of  the  sliip's  surgeon  and 
was  getting  along  j)retty  well. 

One  tine  morning  as  I  was  sitting  on  a  coil  of  rope  for- 
ward, smoking,  Harry  came  up  to  me  and  asked — "  Ain't 
you  Cai)t.  Winchester?  '*  I  said  "  Yes,"  and  then  it  came 
to  nie  who  he  was — tlie  second  cook  on  tlie  Haydn  Brown. 
He  was  grub  staked  in'  a  man  named  Dixon,  who  was 
working  in  tlie  interest  of  Humphrey  at  (lorofnin  bay, 
near  Cape  Nome.  He  told  me  he  left  Dixon  and  started 
out  for  (Jape  Nome  without  any  provisions  and,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  he  said,  "  I  know  what  it  is  to  live  on  seal 
blubber,  and  would  have  frozen  to  death  but  for  the  time- 
ly arrival  of  a  party  of  men  that  took  me  in  and  did  for 
me.  Now  I  am  going  home  and  ho[)e  never  to  go  back 
to  that  God-forsaken  place  again."' 


WE   EMBARK   ON   OUK    LONG   JOURNEY.  245 

I  did  not  ask  him  about  this  strike  he  liad  made,  for  I 
was  i)leased  to  see  the  old  cook,  and  did  not  want  to  mar 
this  meeting  with  what  I  thouglit  would  cause  embarass- 
ment,  so  the  question  remained  unasked.  Me  was  sober 
now  tor  he  could  not  raise  the  money  to  get  any  more 
whiskey,  as  it  cost  pretty  high  on  board  of  the  Roanoke.. 

We  had  a  passenger  l»y  the  name  of  Bradford  on  board, 
who  carao  from  Michigan,  and  was  always  talking  about 
the  groat  resources  of  his  state.  I  liked  to  listen  to  hira. 
Every  day  we  would  get  between  decks,  smoke,  and  lis- 
ten to  the  tales  of  woe  told  by  ditferent  sick  passengers. 
We  had  Smith,  who  had  lost  both  hands,  and  who  had  no 
money  to  get  home  with.  Bradford  got  two  or  three 
others  interested  and  took  up  a  collection,'raising  enough 
to  carry  him  home.  The  poor  fellow  had  intended  to  walk 
to  Minnesota.  Bradford  wanted  to  keep  the  money  for 
Smith,  but  this  caused  a  distrust  among  the  others,  and 
they  made  him  give  the  money  over.  Bradford  was  mad 
clean  through  to  think  that  his  honesty  was  (juestioned. 
Poor  Bradford  was  a  little  wrong  in  the  head,  for  he 
would  tell  one  story  one  day  and  contradict  it  the  next. 

We  had  another  star  appear  in  our  midst,  who,  when 
I  first  saw  him,  was  dancing  a  jig,  and  doing  it  well  for  an 
old  man  of  over  sixty  years.  He  began  to  blow  his  horn 
about  some  place  up  Norton  bay,  where  he  had  got  twen- 
ty-five dollars'  worth  of  gold  out  of  two  half  pans.  "Why 
didn't  you  pan  out  one  or  two  more,  Mr.  Kelly  i  "  was 
asked  him.  He  replied,  "  It  was  too  cold,  and  I 
was  afraid  that  I  should  freeze  my  hands. "  "  Why  didn't 
you  build  a  tire  and  keep  them  warm ?  "  "I  didn't 
have  any  provisions  and  1  was  most  starved.'"  Say- 
ing which,  he  pulled  out  his  bag  of  gold  and  rattled  it 
before  the  crowd.  "I'll  show  ye  after  we  get  in  that 
there  is  gold  uj)  there  ;  I  am  going  to  tit  out  a  schooner 
and  go  back.     You  fellows  had  better  come  with  me, '' 


246 


TO   THK   ALASKAN    GOLD    F1KLD8. 


and  so  Kelly  Hpouled.  When  he  first  came  on  board  ho 
said  there  was  no  gold  in  Alaska.  Now  he  knew  where 
there  were  fortunes,  and  this  was  kept  up  until  we  arrived 
at  Seattle. 

Marry  was  quiet  after  he  met  me  and  kept  sober.  We 
had  a  fine  run  down  to  (^ape  Mattery,  and  were  all  on 
deck  when  we  entered  the  Straits  of  Juan  DeFuca.  We 
saw  the  Olympia  mountains,  covered  with  snow,  and  old 
Mount  llainer  loom  up  in  the  distiinee,  with  its  white  cap 
above  the  clouds.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  sail  up  to  Puget 
Sound,  where  we  arrived  in  the  first  part  of  the  evening. 
A  floating  fiance  hall,  with  a  band  on  board,  came  to  meet 
us.  It  was  all  lit  up  with  Japanese  lanterns,  and  the  mu- 
sic sounded  grand  on  the  water,  as  they  played  "  There'll 
be  a  hot  time  in  the  old  town  to-night." 

We  went  in  to  the  pier,  which  was  jammed  and  crowded 
with  people.  The  whole  city  was  there,  some  looking  for 
absent  friends,  while  others  were  looking  for  news  from 
the  gold  legions.  I  sta}e(l  on  board,  as  1  was  not  able  to 
•go  on  shore.  I  felt  that  morning  would  be  the  time  for 
me  to  venture  forth  and  find  a  boarding-jilace.  f  tried  to 
sleep,  but  could  not,  so  as  soon  as  it  was  light  I  went  on 
shore.  There  were  no  restaurants  t)i)en,  but  I  saw  a 
large  building  with  "  AT  mors'  Hotel  "  in  large  letters,  and 
as  the  location  suited  me,  I  went  in  and  engaged  my  room» 
paying  in  advance. 

The  proprietor  was  a  Minneapolis  man.  I  got  my  bag- 
gage from  tlie  boat  and  ate  a  good  breakfast,  and  lay  down 
to  rest.  I  was  very  weak,  but  with  a  crutch  got  around 
very  well.  I  concluded  to  stay  in  Seattle  vnitil  I  was  well 
enough  to  stand  a  ride  across  the  continent.  One  of  the 
men  who  came  down  on  the  boat  with  me  was  stopping  at 
the  hotel.  He  was  a  good,  honest  felloes  and  came  from 
Dawson.  He  generally  kept  company  with  me  whenever 
I  went  down  town. 


WK    KMHAHK    ON    OUR    LONG   .lOUHNKY.  247 

There  had  been  j^reat  improvements  in  the  city,  the  wild 
rush  on  the  water  front  had  passed  away,  and  Seattle  was 
dninjr  l)nsine8s  now  on  the  hrolcen-down  wret-hes  who  had 
retnrned.  Tiiere  were  nnmcrous  rohberies  and  not  a  tow 
mnrders — all  for  Klondike  <jr,)ld.  'l'l,ey  said  that  the  l{oa- 
noke  had  on  hoard  for  the  mint  in  Seattle  three  millions  of 
gold,  hut  I  tliink  it  was  like  the  seven  millions  reported 
in  Arctic  City,  when  the  iujom  was  on.  There  were  rail- 
road ajfcnts  selling'  tickets  at  reduced  rates,  besides  scalp- 
ers and  scavenjrers — all  t^d<in<r  yon  by  the  hand  if  they 
thought  there  was  any  money  in  it.  Then  tlieie  was  the 
stock-broker  with  his  mining  stock,  quoted  at  high  rates, 
which  lie  would  exchange  for  your  old  clitini,  but  C(mld 
pay  no  money  until  it  was  sold.  ,  They  would  accost  the 
stranger  something  like  this:  "  Leave  us  the  number  of 
your  claim  and  we  will  look  it  up.  Who  is  the  next?" 
"  I  believe  J  have  got  your  number :  yes,  that  will  do," 
That  would  be  the  answer  he  woidd  get  for  on(  hundred 
years,  if  he  lived  so  long.  Tliei'c  were  sharpers  and  ras- 
cals in  that  business,  as  well  as  every  other.  Different 
ones  tried  me  for  a  mark,  lait  I  trusted  nobody,  so  I  o-ot 
m  no  scrapes.  My  crutch  and  myself  were  not  to  be 
worsted  this  time. 

The  troojjs  were  congregating  at  Seattle  to  crowd  the 
transports  that  were  making  ready  to  take  them  and  their 
horses.  There  was  a  great  call  for  men  to  care  for  the 
horses,  and  some  out  of  our  house  were  joining  the  ranks. 
Things  were  pretty  lively  in  this  diiection.  There  were 
the  Garone,  an  English  steamer  chartered  by  our  gov- 
ernment, a  large  ocean  liner,  and  another  equally  as  large 
bound  for  Manila.  Some  of  the  men  wanted  me  to  sign, 
but  I  had  no  notion  of  doing  so.  I  was  enjoying  the  beau- 
tiful cool  breeze  of  Fuget  Sound,  and  did  not  care  to 
<'hange  to  a  warmer  region. 

1  enjoyed  the  first  thunder-storm   that  I  had  known  for 


248 


TO   THK    ALASKAN    (lOM)    F1KLD8. 


H  year,  and  it  wuk  (lcli<rlitt'iil  to  iiie.  They  don't  often 
lifippen  in  Seattle,  where  the  climate  is  cool  and  (|iiite  dry 
through  tlie  snnnner  niontiis.  Tlic  view  of  tlie  huiiior  was 
beautiful,  and  the  Olyinpia  mountains  were  a  <rrand  sij^ht. 
There  were  a  j^reat  many  tisiiing  vessels  in,  unloadiuff 
their  catdi  of  halil)nt,  while  further  uj)  the  sound  were 
ships  lyinj;  at  tlie  coal  })iers  loadin<r  with  coal  for  rlitler- 
ent  ports  in  the  I'acilic. 

And  theii  there  was  the  last  boom  of  Seattle  for  Alaska 
lying  at  the  wharf — a  schooner  that  had  prohahly  been 
l)uilt  for  a  (isherman  and  chartered  by  Kelly  f(»r  the  gold 
regions.  lie  had  his  sign  in  the  rigging,  and  his  coloi-s 
flying  every  day,  while  he  walked  the  streets  with  four 
thousand  dollars  in  his  pocket.  How  had  he  done  it  ^ 
The  same  as  the  rest.  Jt  was  not  the  moneyed  man  that 
he  was  buncoing,  but  the  poor  man  who  listened  to  his 
brilliant  lie,  and  in  spite  of  all  you  would  say  to  him  of 
the  i)lace  up  there,  he  would  go  ;  he  had  tlie  fever,  and 
nothing  would  make  him  change  his  mind  while  old  Kelly 
was  shaking  his  bag  of  gold  in  his  face.  There  is  no  doubt 
this  Kelly  scheme  was  hatched  iij)  on  the  Uoanokeby  men 
who  had  money  and  saw  an  easy  way  for  making  more. 

The  whole  thing  was  a  lie,  but  what  was  my  word 
against  these  men  of  money  '.  'fhe  paiiers  called  me  and 
my  advocates  hoboes,  liecause  we  said  that  there  was  no 
gold  up  there.  To  please  the  [iress  and  people  we  must 
say — yes,  there  is  [ilenty  of  it.  Then  you  are  a  good 
fellow. 

I  concluded  to  go  home,  and  after  vising  the  dift'erent 
offices,  found  that  the  (ireat  Northern  would  suit  me  as 
well  as  any  line.  I  was  surrounded  by  agents  and  scalp- 
ers, but  after  a  determined  fight  1  came  out  of  it,  and 
bought  my  ticket  on  the  (ireat  Northern.  So  one  fine 
morning  I  took  my  seat,  bade  my  friend  good-bye,  and  left 
Seattle  for  a  long  ride  across  the  continent.     That  night 


WK    KMHAKK   ON    OUIl    LONO    JOUHNEY.  24!> 

we  HHcentled  tlic  Cascade  MouiitaiiiH  in  a  thiiiHUir  istorui. 
It  looked  wild  and  daiijj;erous  down  the  steep  sides  of  that 
niountnin.    I  di<l  noteiijoy  it  at  all,  i»ein<i:  siek  and  nervous. 

I  was  dreading  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  we  had  some 
very  dangei-ons  passages  along  their  sides.  We  were 
miming  over  a  wooded  plain,  tliat  seemed  to  lie  between 
the  two  ranges  of  mountains,  and  stopjjcd  at  Spokane,  a 
mining  city,  with  a  husiness  of  getting  out  luiid)er.  It 
was  called  a  smart  little  city,  and  there  was  a  river  run- 
ning to  the  sea.  We  made  a  qhort  stay  there,  us  we  diil 
at  all  of  our  stopi)ing  places. 

We  ascended  the  Rocikies,  and  were  soon  speeding  along 
on  the  brink  of  a  bluff  hundreds  t)f  feet  high.  I  saw  a 
freight  train  lying  wreciked  below  on  the  jagged  rocks. 
Rivera,  lakes,  woodlands  and  plains  filled  in  the  landscape. 
I  WHS  glad  when  we  got  down  on  the 'level  and  the  land 
opened  out  i.:  one  vast  i)rairie.  Along  the  road  could  be 
seen  the  little  cot  of  the  employees  of  the  road,  and  in 
some  out-of-the-Wiay  place  were  many  "  jump  holes." 
These  "  jump  holes  "  are  places  along  the  track  where  the 
train  slows  down  for  the  employes  of  the  road  to  jump  off 
and  go  to  their  homes.  That  is  how  they  get  their  names. 
The  employes  all  live  in  tents  at  the  jump  holes.  Then 
there  were  cattle  ranches,  vvhere  cow-boys  could  be  seen 
rounding  up  the  cattle  to  a  fenced-in  j)lace. 

When  it  came  night  it  was  a  desolate  looking  locality. 
I  would  not  live  out  there  for  a  farm.  There  were  Indians 
with  their  [)onies  feeding  on  the  prairie,  and  they  had  some 
hay  cut  and  stacked.  We  came  to  a  liiirned  bridge,  and 
there  we  were  transferred  to  another  train.  Across  the 
gulch  men  were  repairing  the  iiridge. 

One  feature  of  this  ride  was  the  dining-room.  I  went 
there  to  get  my  meals,  and  was  served  most  unsatisfacto- 
rily by  impertinent  waiters.  As  I  would  have  two  hours 
in  Minneapolis,  I  conchuhjd  to  fill   a   luuch-basket.      We 


250 


TO   TIIK    AliAHKAN    (iOLl)    KIKM)H. 


Haw  the  Vellowstono  at.  intorviilH,  hh  it  woiiml  Uh  way  to 
tho  Missouri.  Wo  oiilfrwl  tlie  "  hiul  IuikIh  "  in  Dakota, 
and  I  c'oiisidi'iiul  them  woll  naiiicMl.  It  was  coininj;  on 
ni<rlit,  and  I  roiild  not  see  outside  very  woll,  as  the  li<;lits 
in  the  cars  were  lit.  ^^'e  were  tliree  hours  itehind  time 
on  aecount  of  the  burned  l)rid<re,  l»ut  I  saw  a  <re_vser,  or 
hot  sprinjr,  and  it  was  (|uite  a  novel  si«rht  to  nie. 

We  eanie  down  into  Minnesota  and  rode  I'or  days 
through  fields  of  wheat.  It  was  stupendous  almost  in- 
eredil)le.  As  far  as  I  eould  see,  on  eaeh  side  of  the  train, 
were  wheat  fields.  Wo  steamed  l)y  the  lar<;est  flour  mills 
in  the  w(U'ld  and  entered  the  depot.  !  was  soon  travollinf; 
the  streets  of  Minnea|)olis,  looking  for  a  •rroeery  store 
to  put  u|)  a  huieli  to  stand  me  the  rest  of  the  way  home. 
I  <;«)t  my  sU})i)or,  filled  my  liasket,  went  hack  to  the  depot, 
found  my  train,  and  was  soon  rolliiif;  away  for  Chiuairo, 
where  I  ehanired  ears,  and  was  off  for  Hulhilo. 

This  time  we  wont  over  tlie  line  into  Canada,  erossinj; 
Xiajrara  bridjre  in  the  nitrht  for  Hutfalo,  so  I  did  not  see 
this  wonderful  place.  We  were  passincr  throuoh  New 
York  state  next,  and  its  scenery  reminded  me  of  home. 
We  were  transferred  to  the  Filchburji:,  and  then  wei'e  on 
our  way  to  Hoston,  stoppin<r  at  (Jrcenfield  lony'  enouj^h  to 
get  our  dinner. 

1  felt  that  I  was  in  the  land  of  the  livinjLr  <'»i'i'  more 
when  I  got  out  at  the  new  Tnion  depot  and  found  a  train 
for  Beverly.  I  was  soon  in  the  |)resence  of  my  family, 
and  rested  that  night  at  home,  after  my  long  journey 
from  Lynn  to  San  Francisco,  followed  by  a  winter  in 
Alaska,  and  then  a  long  ride  home,  having  been  absent  a 
year  and  tvin  months. 


AITKNDIX. 


Althouj^li  ju'coi'dinn'  lo    my  cxpoficiico  I  doscrilted  Ibo 
iicts  of  our  iiieu   as  tlicy  ciiiue  uiulor  my  oliservation,   so 
I  write  this  ii|)|)i'iKli.v  to  ('xom-niti'    miiny  of  flii'in  frnm 
l>liimt',  iis  it  WHS  tryiiiir  on   new   mon   lo  stand  tiu^  priva- 
tion and  starvation  of  a  lonir  voya<r<'.  imd  I  lay  tiic  l)lamo 
on  our  k-adiii',  who  was  tiii'  (^ausc  of  all  their  siiU'ci'inj^. 
The  readci"  nniy  think  liopaye  a  very  domon  in  chai-ncter, 
l)iit  take  him  in  every  day  life  he  was  fifentle  and  kind.     I 
admit  he  had  a  hii,di,    sensitive  nature,    that  was  tried  to 
its  utmost  in  the  struir^le  we  iniido  to  nain  the  Alaskan 
•rold   lields,    liut    when    I    bi-eanie   sick   and.  helpless,    he 
piovcd  himself  a   hero,    and  brouojit  me  out  safe  to  St. 
Michaels,   althouijh  1  was   warned,    wiiile   uj)  in   Meaver, 
that  he  had  desifrns  on  my  life.      I  came  (hnvn  the  river 
with  him  alone,  and  felt    ashamed  of  those   who  had  re- 
jiorted  this  falsehood,  and  to-ilay  1  feel  under  the  deepest 
ol»ligations  to  him.  and  he  will  always  he  remembered  as 
one  of  my  nearest  friends,  foi'  such  he  proved  himself. 


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